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Type C virogenes: genetic transfer and interspecies transfer
La Ricerca in Clinica E in Laboratorio
|July 1, 1975
Summary
Endogenous type C RNA viruses, present in vertebrate DNA, are transmitted genetically and may cause cancer when activated. Human tissues show evidence of these viral sequences, suggesting a role in human cancer.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Genetics
- Oncology
Background:
- Somatic cells in vertebrates contain gene sequences for type C RNA viruses, known as virogenes.
- These virogenes are genetically transmitted and linked to the virogene-oncogene hypothesis for cancer causation.
- Activation of endogenous virogenes, not exogenous viruses, is proposed as a common cancer mechanism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolution and presence of type C RNA viruses within primate genomes.
- To determine if human tissues contain sequences related to primate type C viruses.
Main Methods:
- Nucleic acid hybridization and immunologic criteria were used to distinguish baboon type C RNA viruses.
- Radioimmunoassays detected viral protein p30 in primate and human tissues.
- Hybridization experiments confirmed type C viral sequences in the human genome.
Main Results:
- Type C virogenes evolved with primate species, showing closer homology in related genera.
- Endogenous viruses can infect and integrate into distantly related species.
- Viral protein p30, related to primate viruses, was found in human tissues, and type C viral sequences confirmed in the human genome.
Conclusions:
- Endogenous type C RNA viruses are integrated into vertebrate genomes and evolve with their hosts.
- Evidence suggests human tissues harbor sequences related to primate type C viruses.
- This supports the role of endogenous viral sequences in human cancer development.