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Experimental polymicrobial peritonitis-associated transcriptional regulation of murine endogenous retroviruses

Kiho Cho1, Sophia Chiu, Young-Kwan Lee

  • 1Burn Research, Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA. kcho@ucdavis.edu

Shock (Augusta, Ga.)
|December 9, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Murine endogenous retroviruses (MuERVs) expression changes during sepsis. Researchers found altered MuERV transcripts in the liver and lung following a sepsis model, suggesting a role in disease pathogenesis.

Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Sepsis remains a leading cause of mortality despite advances in understanding its pathophysiology.
  • Murine endogenous retroviruses (MuERVs), comprising ~10% of the mouse genome, are largely uncharacterized in disease states.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate differential regulation of MuERV expression in response to sepsis-induced stress.
  • To identify specific MuERV transcripts and variants altered during sepsis pathogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Induction of sepsis in ICR mice using cecal ligation and puncture (CLP).
  • Quantitative analysis of MuERV expression in liver and lung tissues at various time points post-CLP.

Main Results:

  • Significant induction or repression of MuERV expression observed in liver and lung tissues after CLP.
  • Increased expression of nine splicing variants and one non-spliced transcript detected, primarily in the liver at 12 and 48 hours.
  • Identification of four novel splicing signals and characterization of MuERV envelope variants.

Conclusions:

  • Sepsis-elicited stress significantly alters the expression of specific MuERV transcripts, including envelope variants.
  • These findings suggest a potential role for MuERV expression modulation in the host response to sepsis.

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