Altered transcriptional activity of human endogenous retroviruses in neuroepithelial cells after infection with Toxoplasma gondii.

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) arose in antiquity from stable integration into the human genome. The mechanism for activation of HERVs has not been fully elucidated. Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is a medically important parasitic infection with worldwide distribution. To search for a tentative link between toxoplasmosis and HERV activation, HERV expression profiles of human neuroepithelial SK-N-MC cells infected with T. gondii were analyzed. Increased transcriptional activity of class I, II, and III HERV elements was observed in infected cells, suggesting that T. gondii can influence the transcription of HERVs in neuronal cells.