title: Functional human endogenous retroviral LTR transcription start sites are located between the R and U5 regions.
abstract: Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) occupy about 5% of human DNA and are thought to be remnants of ancient retroviral infections of human ancestors' germ cells. HERVs can modify expression of host cell genes through their cis-regulatory elements concentrated in their long terminal repeats (LTRs). Although numerous HERV-related RNAs were identified in the human transcriptome, for most of them, it remains unclear whether they are LTR-promoted or read-through products initiated from neighboring genomic promoters. Here, we describe mapping of transcriptional start sites within solitary and proviral LTRs of the HERV-K (HML-2) human-specific subfamily of endogenous retroviruses. Surprisingly, the transcription was initiated predominantly from the very 3' termini of the LTR R regions. The data presented here may shed light on adaptive coevolution of human endogenous retroviruses with their host cells.
authors.affiliation: Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya, Moscow 117997, Russia.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kovalskaya
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buzdin
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gogvadze
authors.forename: Tatyana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vinogradova
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sverdlov
mesh_terms: D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020077:Endogenous Retroviruses / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D020079:Terminal Repeat Sequences; D024363:Transcription Initiation Site; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012367:RNA, Viral