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Pluripotency and the endogenous retrovirus HERVH: Conflict or serendipity?
Author(s) -
Izsvák Zsuzsanna,
Wang Jichang,
Singh Manvendra,
Mager Dixie L.,
Hurst Laurence D.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.201500096
Subject(s) - endogenous retrovirus , biology , retrotransposon , genome , serendipity , transposable element , retrovirus , genetics , induced pluripotent stem cell , evolutionary biology , gene , embryonic stem cell , philosophy , epistemology
Remnants of ancient retroviral infections during evolution litter all mammalian genomes. In modern humans, such endogenous retroviral (ERV) sequences comprise at least 8% of the genome. While ERVs and other types of transposable elements undoubtedly contribute to the genomic “junk yard”, functions for some ERV sequences have been demonstrated, with growing evidence that ERVs can be important players in gene regulatory processes. Here we focus on one particular large family of human ERVs, termed HERVH, which several recent studies suggest has a key regulatory role in human pluripotent stem cells. Remarkably, this is not the first instance of an ERV controlling pluripotency. We speculate as to why this convergent evolution might have come about, suggesting that it may reflect selection on the virus to extend the time available for transposition. Alternatively it may reflect serendipity alone.