| Autor: |
H. Germaier, C. Leib-Mösch, R. Hehlmann, V. Erfle, Peter Kind, M. Hagenhofer, C. Hohenadl, Martin Herrmann |
| Rok vydání: |
1997 |
| Předmět: |
|
| Zdroj: |
Skin Cancer and UV Radiation ISBN: 9783642645471 |
| DOI: |
10.1007/978-3-642-60771-4_16 |
| Popis: |
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) or retrovirus-like genetic elements are an integral part of the eukaryotic genome. They may be relicts of former exogenous retroviruses which have been integrated into the DNA of germline cells and dispersed via retrotransposition in the course of evolution. It has been demonstrated that at least 1% of the human genome consists of these retrovirus-related sequences (reviewed by Leib-Mosch et al., 1990; Wilkinson et al., 1994, Leib- Mosch & Seifarth, 1996). The fundamental structure of ERVs resembles exogenous retroviruses in the proviral form. Full-length ERVs contain sequences homologous to the gag, pol and env genes of infectious retroviruses and are flanked by long terminal repeats (LTRs) containing the regulatory sequences necessary for retroviral transcription. Most ERVs discovered so far are inactivated by frameshifts or deletions and are replication defective. However, some full length proviruses contain all the structural features which are essential for viral gene expression and replication. Thus, ERVs represent a reservoir of possibly pathogenic viral genes that may be activated spontaneously or by environmental influences. |
| Databáze: |
OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|
