Functional characterization of two newly identified Human Endogenous Retrovirus coding envelope genes
Functional characterization of two newly identified Human Endogenous Retrovirus coding envelope genes
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DOI：
10.1186/1742-4690-2-19
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发表时间：
2005-03-14
期刊：
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Heidmann, T
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Blaise, S;de Parseval, N;Heidmann, T
最近在计算机上搜索编码序列的逆转录病毒起源于人类基因组中已经解开了两个新的包膜基因，添加到先前确定的16个基因。在后者中对融合活性的系统搜索导致了两个真正的基因的鉴定，命名为合胞素1和合胞素2，最有可能被灵长类基因组增选，用于与通过细胞-细胞融合形成合胞体滋养层相关的胎盘功能。在这里，我们表明，一个新发现的包膜基因，命名为envP（B），是融合在离体测定，但它的表达-通过实时RT-PCR定量的一个大面板的人体组织-是无处不在的，虽然在大多数组织中的值相当低。相反，第二个包膜基因，命名为envV，公开了胎盘特异性表达，但在任何测试的细胞中都不是融合的。总之，这些结果表明，至少有一个这些env基因可能在胎盘形成中发挥作用，但最有可能是通过一个过程不同的两个先前确定的syncytins。
A recent in silico search for coding sequences of retroviral origin present in the human genome has unraveled two new envelope genes that add to the 16 genes previously identified. A systematic search among the latter for a fusogenic activity had led to the identification of two bona fide genes, named syncytin-1 and syncytin-2, most probably co-opted by primate genomes for a placental function related to the formation of the syncytiotrophoblast by cell-cell fusion. Here, we show that one of the newly identified envelope gene, named envP(b), is fusogenic in an ex vivo assay, but that its expression - as quantified by real-time RT-PCR on a large panel of human tissues - is ubiquitous, albeit with a rather low value in most tissues. Conversely, the second envelope gene, named envV, discloses a placenta-specific expression, but is not fusogenic in any of the cells tested. Altogether, these results suggest that at least one of these env genes may play a role in placentation, but most probably through a process different from that of the two previously identified syncytins.