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Updated: Oct 9, 2026

Quantification of Autoreactive Antibodies in Mice upon Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Published on: December 1, 2023
[Endogenous retroviruses in multiple sclerosis]
T Christensen1, P D Sørensen, H J Hansen
1Institut for Medicinsk Mikrobiologi & Immunologi, Bioteknologisk Institut, Hørsholm, Aarhus Universitet. tc@microbiology.au.dk
Introduction:
In recent years, it has been suggested that human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) may play a role in autoimmune diseases. HERVs represent both putative susceptibility genes and putative pathogenic viruses in multiple sclerosis (MS). Initially, our objective was to characterize a retrovirus produced by MS derived cell lines and to investigate this association in vivo.
Methods:
The retrovirus was identified by RT-PCR on virion RNA purified from RT-positive retroviral particles from the MS cell lines, and from blood samples from MS patients. Wistar rats were immunized with purified virions and serological responses analyzed by ELISA.
Results:
Sequence variants highly homologous to the HERV-H family were found. The same sequences were specifically found in the particulate fraction of a series of MS patient plasma samples and were absent in controls. A database search demonstrated HERV-H copies in several chromosome regions implied in MS susceptibility. Virion-immunized rats developed a specific serological response towards HERV-H peptides indicating that immunogenic virion proteins are encoded by HERV-H.
Discussion:
Activation of normally replicatively quiescent HERVs may be causally involved in MS.
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