 | This article may be too technical for most readers to understand. (November 2016) |
| Human endogenous retrovirus W | |
|---|---|
Virus classification 
| |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | Riboviria |
| Kingdom: | Pararnavirae |
| Phylum: | Artverviricota |
| Class: | Revtraviricetes |
| Order: | Ortervirales |
| Family: | Retroviridae |
| Genus: | Gammaretrovirus (?) |
| (unranked): | Human endogenous retrovirus W |
Human Endogenous Retrovirus-W (HERV-W) is a family of Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs).
HERVs are part of a superfamily of repetitive and transposable elements. Transposable elements are sequences of DNA that can move or "jump" around the genome, sometimes replicating and inserting themselves in different locations.
There are 31 known families of HERVs, constituting approximately about 8% of the human genome of which HERV-W DNA encoding sequences specifically account for about 1% of the human genome. For comparison, this represents about the same amount of DNA allocated to protein coding genes.[1][2]
Most HERVs in the genome today are not able to replicate, because of genetic changes such as frame shifts, premature stop codons, and recombination in their long terminal repeats (LTRs).[3] Each HERV family is derived from a single infection of the human germline by an external retrovirus. After integrating into the human DNA, these retroviruses expanded and evolved over time.[4] A complete HERV includes specific genes – gag, pro, pol and env – flanked on either side by the long terminal repeats, which act like bookends. [clarification needed]
- ^ Belshaw, R (1998). "Physiological Role of Human Placental Growth Hormone". Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. 140 (1–2): 121–27. doi:10.1016/s0303-7207(98)00040-9. PMID 9722179. S2CID 13346422.
- ^ Gannet, Lisa (Oct 2008). "The Human Genome Project". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- ^ Stoye, Jonathan P.; Coffin, John M. (2000). "A provirus put to work". Nature. 403 (6771): 715–717. doi:10.1038/35001700. PMID 10693785. S2CID 2836108.
- ^ Boeke, J. D.; Stoye, J. P. (1997). "Retrotransposons, Endogenous Retroviruses, and the Evolution of Retroelements". In Coffin, J. M.; Hughes, S. H.; Varmus, H. E. (eds.). Retroviruses. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. PMID 21433351.