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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Microarray-based Identification of Individual HERV Loci Expression: Application to Biomarker Discovery in Prostate Cancer
Published on: November 2, 2013
Expression analyses of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs): tissue-specific and developmental stage-dependent
Goichi Okahara1, Shinobu Matsubara, Takaya Oda
1Department of Molecular Biology, Ryukyu University School of Medicine, 207 Uehara, Okinawa 903-0215, Japan.
Abstract:
The evolutional and biological roles of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are less recognized compared to those of L1. In the present study, we focused on the transcriptional activity of HERVs in normal human tissues and found five HERV loci that are actively expressed in normal tissues. All but one showed tissue specificity of expression: one was expressed in stomach and small intestine and three were in placenta. We subsequently examined by TaqMan-based RT-PCR assays the temporal expression profiles of the three placenta-specific HERVs along with syncytin and syncytin 2 and observed three patterns. Syncytin and HERV-Fb showed almost constant expression through gestations. Syncytin 2 gradually decreased as pregnancy proceeded. In contrast, expression from the HERV-H/F and HERV-K(HML-6) loci increased remarkably in term placentas. Term placentas in general showed larger interindividual differences in HERV expression levels. Our results suggest that HERVs might have more diverse effects than currently thought.
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