Human Endogenous Retrovirus (HERV)-R family in primates: Chromosomal location, gene expression, and evolution.
Hitherto, full-length endogenous retrovirus (HERV)-R has been located at human chromosome 7q11.2, and mRNA and envelope proteins have been detected in placenta and a variety of other cell types. In the present study, using a probe derived from the gorilla fosmid library, we detected the paralogous locus (7q31.3) of the HERV-R env gene in human chromosome 7q11.2, and also determined the chromosomal location in apes and Old World monkeys. The HERV-R gene was not detected in New World monkeys or prosimians with FISH and PCR analyses. We determined the sequences of the HERV-R env genes obtained from the genomic DNA of primates using PCR and sequencing tools. Except for a HERV-R env sequence derived from gorilla DNA, the functional domains of putative envelope proteins are conserved, suggesting that those domains could have a functional capacity in the primate genome. In addition, we investigated the env gene expression of HERV-R in various human tissues and cancer cells. An RT-PCR approach indicated that the env gene was expressed in several human tissues (brain, prostate, testis, kidney, placenta, thymus, and uterus) and cancer cells (RT4, BT-474, MCF7, OVCAR-3, LOX-IMVI, and AZ521). Taken together, our data could be of great use for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of HERV-R through primate radiation as well as the implications of its functional role in human tissues and cancers cells.
Kim
Heui-Soo
HS
Division of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735, Korea. khs307@pusan.ac.kr
Yi
Joo-Mi
JM
Hirai
Hirohisa
H
Huh
Jae-Won
JW
Jeong
Mi-Suk
MS
Jang
Se-Bok
SB
Kim
Choong-Gon
CG
Saitou
Naruya
N
Hyun
Byung-Hwa
BH
Lee
Won-Ho
WH
D000818:Animals; D002897:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7 / Q000235:genetics*; D020077:Endogenous Retroviruses / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D015894:Genome, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D000882:Haplorhini / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D009928:Organ Specificity; D013045:Species Specificity; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins