ERVK Polyprotein Processing and Reverse Transcriptase Expression in Human Cell Line Models of Neurological Disease Flashcards
Who authored this paper and when?
Sheena, Jennifer, and Renée in 2015
ERVK encodes what protein which could be a promising biomarker and for what?
Reverse transcriptase endcoded by humans could be an important biomarker for several inflammatory and neurological diseases.
What do we know about ERVK RT isoforms, expression patterns, and localization?
Very little, not much research has been done.
What does this paper show in their prominent Western blot?
It showcases the gag-pro-pol polyprotein processing leading to the production of several ERVK RT isoforms in human neuronal and astrocytic models of neuroinflammatory disease.
What human cell lines were used in this paper for Western blots?
Neuronal ReNcell CX and astrocytes SVGA.
Which proinflammatory cytokine plays a key role in the pathology of several ERVK associated neurological diseases?
IFNgamma
Does IFNgamma affect ERVK expression?
IFNgamma markedly enhanced ERVK polyproteins and RT expression in human astrocytes AND neurons.
How were ERVK reverse transcriptase isoforms expressed during the experiments for this paper?
They were expressed in a cell-type specific pattern and RT-RNase H form was significantly increased with IFNgamma tx.
What did fluorescent imaging of the cells reveal?
Distinct cytoplasmic, perinuclear, and nuclear ERVK RT staining patterns upon IFNgamma stimulation of both astrocytes and neurons.
What did the findings obtained by fluorescent cell imaging suggest?
ERVK expression is inducible under inflammatory conditions such as IFNgamma exposure.
Why are these new in vitro models useful?
They can be used to study ERVK biology in the context of neuroinflammatory diseases.
