Agoni Lorenzo
Unit of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Fondazione Poliambulanza Hospital, Brescia, Italy.
Front Oncol. 2022 Oct 20;12:1019085. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1019085. eCollection 2022.
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are transcribed in many cancer types, including head and neck cancer. Because of accumulating mutations at proviral loci over evolutionary time, HERVs are functionally defective and cannot complete their viral life cycle. Despite that, HERV transcripts, including full-length viral RNAs and viral RNAs spliced as expected at the conventional viral splice sites, can be detected in particular conditions, such as cancer. Interestingly, non-viral-related transcription, including aberrant, non-conventionally spliced RNAs, has been reported as well. The role of HERV transcription in cancer and its contribution to oncogenesis or progression are still debated. Nonetheless, HERVs may constitute a suitable cancer biomarker or a target for therapy. Thus, ongoing research aims both to clarify the basic mechanisms underlying HERV transcription in cancer and to exploit its potential toward clinical application. In this mini-review, we summarize the current knowledge, the most recent findings, and the future perspectives of research on HERV transcription and splicing, with particular focus on head and neck cancer.
人类内源性逆转录病毒（HERV）在包括头颈癌在内的多种癌症类型中均有转录。由于在进化过程中前病毒位点积累了突变，HERV在功能上存在缺陷，无法完成其病毒生命周期。尽管如此，在特定条件下，如癌症中，仍可检测到HERV转录本，包括全长病毒RNA以及在传统病毒剪接位点按预期剪接的病毒RNA。有趣的是，也有报道称存在与病毒无关的转录，包括异常的、非传统剪接的RNA。HERV转录在癌症中的作用及其对肿瘤发生或进展的贡献仍存在争议。尽管如此，HERV可能构成一种合适的癌症生物标志物或治疗靶点。因此，正在进行的研究旨在阐明癌症中HERV转录的基本机制，并挖掘其临床应用潜力。在本综述中，我们总结了关于HERV转录和剪接的当前知识、最新发现以及未来研究展望，特别关注头颈癌。
