Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Modeling Spontaneous Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma mRCC in Mice Following Nephrectomy
11:27

Modeling Spontaneous Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma mRCC in Mice Following Nephrectomy

Published on: April 29, 2014

17.2K

Endogenous retrovirus expression is associated with response to immune checkpoint blockade in clear cell renal cell

Anshuman Panda1,2, Aguirre A de Cubas3, Mark Stein1,4

  • 1Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.

JCI Insight
|August 24, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Abnormal expression of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) in tumors correlates with immune checkpoint activation. Higher ERV3-2 expression predicts better response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Predicting response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains challenging.
  • Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are increasingly recognized for their role in cancer immunity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between endogenous retrovirus (ERV) expression, immune checkpoint activation (ICA), and ICB response in ccRCC.
  • To identify potential biomarkers for ICB treatment efficacy.

Main Methods:

  • Identification of 20 potentially immunogenic ERVs (πERVs) in ccRCC using The Cancer Genome Atlas data.
  • Stratification of ccRCC tumors into high, medium, and low πERV expression groups.
  • Analysis of immune infiltration, checkpoint pathway gene expression, and ERV3-2 levels in relation to ICB response in a cohort of ccRCC patients.

Main Results:

  • πERV-high ccRCC tumors exhibited increased immune infiltration and checkpoint pathway upregulation compared to πERV-low tumors.
  • ERV expression correlated with histone methylation and chromatin regulation genes, and was enriched in BAP1 mutant ccRCC.
  • ERV3-2 expression was associated with ICA across 11 solid cancers and significantly higher in responders versus nonresponders to ICB in ccRCC.

Conclusions:

  • Abnormal πERV expression is linked to immune checkpoint activation in ccRCC and other solid tumors.
  • ERV3-2 expression serves as a potential predictive biomarker for ICB response in ccRCC patients.
Keywords:
ImmunologyImmunotherapyOncology

More Related Videos

Intramucosal Inoculation of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells in Mice for Tumor Immune Profiling and Treatment Response Assessment07:29

Intramucosal Inoculation of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells in Mice for Tumor Immune Profiling and Treatment Response Assessment

Published on: April 22, 2019

12.3K
Mass Cytometry Analysis of Systemic and Local Immune Responses in Hepatocellular Carcinoma08:25

Mass Cytometry Analysis of Systemic and Local Immune Responses in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Published on: April 25, 2025

826

Related Concept Videos

Retroviruses02:33

Retroviruses

Retroviruses and retrotransposons both insert copies of their genetic elements into the genome of the host cell. Thus, the viral genes are passed on when the host genome is replicated or translated. A typical retroviral DNA sequence contains 3-4 genes that encode the different proteins required for its structural assembly and function as a molecular parasite. This DNA is transcribed into a single mRNA, which is very similar in structure to conventional mRNAs, i.e., it is capped at the 5’...
15.0K
Cell-mediated Immune Responses01:40

Cell-mediated Immune Responses

Overview
84.1K
Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response01:23

Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response

The T and B lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system develop from common lymphoid progenitor cells in the bone marrow. These progenitors give rise to precursors that eventually develop into both T and B lymphocytes. As these precursors mature, they gain the ability to detect and respond to foreign antigens in the body, a process known as immunocompetence. Additionally, these precursors acquire self-tolerance, a process that ensures they do not react to self-antigens. This intricate system...
8.9K
Cells of the Innate Immune Response01:28

Cells of the Innate Immune Response

The innate immune response is an immediate and non-specific response against pathogens, acting swiftly to prevent the spread of infections. The primary cells involved in this response are phagocytes and natural killer (NK) cells.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...
9.3K
Humoral Immune Responses01:36

Humoral Immune Responses

Overview
84.0K
Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response01:27

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...
7.5K