Srinivasachar Badarinarayan Smitha, Sauter Daniel
Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.
Institute for Medical Virology and Epidemiology of Viral Diseases, University Hospital Tübingen, Germany.
J Virol. 2021 May 24;95(12). doi: 10.1128/JVI.02299-20.
Long disregarded as junk DNA or genomic dark matter, endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) have turned out to represent important components of the antiviral immune response. These remnants of once-infectious retroviruses not only regulate cellular immune activation, but may even directly target invading viral pathogens. In this Gem, we summarize mechanisms by which retroviral fossils protect us from viral infections. One focus will be on recent advances in the role of ERVs as regulators of antiviral gene expression.
长期以来被视为垃圾DNA或基因组暗物质的内源性逆转录病毒(ERVs),结果却代表了抗病毒免疫反应的重要组成部分。这些曾经具有感染性的逆转录病毒的残余物不仅调节细胞免疫激活,甚至可能直接靶向入侵的病毒病原体。在这篇短文里,我们总结了逆转录病毒化石保护我们免受病毒感染的机制。其中一个重点将是ERVs作为抗病毒基因表达调节因子作用的最新进展。