Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2020, Vol. 15 ›› Issue (6): 1043-1044.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.270311

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Human endogenous retroviruses: ammunition for myeloid cells in neurodegenerative diseases?

Joel Gruchot, David Kremer, Patrick Küry   

  1. Department of Neurology, Neuroregeneration, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
  • Online:2020-06-15 Published:2020-07-02
  • Contact: Patrick Küry, PhD, kuery@uni-duesseldorf.de.
  • Supported by:
    Research on myelin repair and HERVs in the laboratory of PK was supported by the French societies ARSEP (Fondation pour l’Aide à la Recherche sur la Sclérose en Plaques) and AFM (Association Française Contre les Myopathies), by DMSG Ortsvereinigung Düsseldorf und Umgebung e.V. as well as by Geneuro. JG is a student of the iBrain graduate school and PK and JG are supported by the Stifterverband/Novartisstiftung. DK was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) while carrying research on HERVs at Cleveland Clinic. The MS Center at the Department of Neurology is supported in part by the Walter and Ilse Rose Foundation and the James and Elisabeth Cloppenburg, Peek, and Cloppenburg Düsseldorf Stiftung.

Abstract: While the exact causes of neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are still elusive, there is evidence of a new category of pathogenic elements called human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) which seem to contribute to their evolution and progression by exerting inflammatory and degenerative effects (Küry et al., 2018). HERVs are ancient retroviral elements which account for up to 8% of the human genome and it is known that environmental factors can trigger their (re-)expression (Küry et al., 2018). The resulting production of viral particles and/or proteins, especially from members of the HERV-W and HERV-K family, is strongly correlated with the onset and progression of neurological diseases, such as MS and ALS