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Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Primer Extension Capture: Targeted Sequence Retrieval from Heavily Degraded DNA Sources
Published on: September 3, 2009
Novel Denisovan and Neanderthal retroviruses
Adam Lee1, Derek Huntley2, Pakorn Aiewsakun3
1Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, United Kingdom adam.lee07@imperial.ac.uk.
Abstract:
Following the recent availability of high-coverage genomes for Denisovan and Neanderthal hominids, we conducted a screen for endogenized retroviruses, identifying six novel, previously unreported HERV-K(HML2) elements (HERV-K is human endogenous retrovirus K). These elements are absent from the human genome (hg38) and appear to be unique to archaic hominids. These findings provide further evidence supporting the recent activity of the HERV-K(HML2) group, which has been implicated in human disease. They will also provide insights into the evolution of archaic hominids.
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