Inside the Envelops: Endogenous Retrovirus-K Env as a Biomarker and Therapeutic Agent Flashcards
Who authored this paper and when?
Sheena, Marie-Josée, and Renée in 2015
How has ERVK expression been silenced over the years?
Negative selective pressures and genetic phenomena like mutations and epigenetic silencing.
ERVK Env protein strongly suggests a causal or contributive role in the pathogenesis of which diseases?
various cancers, autoimmune, and infectious diseases
Which protein of which ERV is responsible for the placental development?
Syncytin of the ERVW.
To what does the innane immune system seem to be responding during ERVK env expression?
The trasmembrane domain of the env protein.
What is the main aim of this review paper?
To highlight ERVK env as a biomarker for inflammaotry conditions and explore it as a therapeutic target for cancers, HIV infection, and neurological disease.
What function does ERVK env protein exert based on Morozov et al. 2013, and Li et al. 2015?
Neurotoxic and Immunosuppressive effects
How does ERVK env protein induce neurotoxis and immunosuppressive effects in humans?
Most mechanisms are not well understood.
Describe the ERVK env protein.
55 kDa surface unit responsible for receptor binding
39 kDa fusogenic transmembrane unit
What region of the ERVK env protein is responsible for immunosuppression?
a region of the ectodomain of the transmembrane subunit referred to as the immunosuppressive domain.
How does the ERVK TM protein similar to other retroviruses?
Retroviruses tend to have a conserved TM env protein though not all have ISU portion.
Where is the ISU (immunosuppressive unit) on the TM protein?
near the N terminus of the ectodomain adjacent to the conserved cysteine residues.
How did mutation in the HIV-1 TM subunit gp41 affect the virus?
Viral infectivity of the host fell
How are the HIV-1 and ERVK TM proteins on env able to modulate the immune system?
They can modulate prod of cytokines, inhibit activatino of immune cells, and alter transcription levels of hundreds of genes.
ERVK TM can induce the overexpression of which prominent cytokines? Which one is affected most?
ILs 6, 8 and (most of all) 10
