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Recent developments linking retroviruses to human breast cancer: infectious agent, enemy within or both?
Identifier
027606
Type of Spiritual Experience
None
Background
Human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) or Human teratocarcinoma-derived virus (HDTV) is a family of human endogenous retroviruses currently associated with malignant tumors of the testes.
HERV-K is also found in apes and Old World monkeys.
In 1999 Barbulescu, et al. showed that, of ten HERV-K proviruses cloned, eight were unique to humans, while one was shared with chimpanzees and bonobos, and one with chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas.
A description of the experience
J Gen Virol. 2014 Dec;95(Pt 12):2589-93. doi: 10.1099/vir.0.070631-0. Epub 2014 Sep 12.
Recent developments linking retroviruses to human breast cancer: infectious agent, enemy within or both?
Salmons B1, Lawson JS2, Günzburg WH3.
Author information
1
Austrianova, 20 Biopolis Way, 05-518 Centros, Republic of Singapore 138668 salmons@sgaustria.com.
2
School of Public Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
3
Institute of Virology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Abstract
Evidence is accumulating that one or more beta-retrovirus is associated with human breast cancer. Retroviruses can exist as an infectious (exogenous) virus or as a part of the genetic information of cells due to germline integration (endogenous). An exogenous virus with a genome that is highly homologous to mouse mammary tumour virus is gaining acceptance as possibly being associated with human breast cancer, and recently furnished evidence is discussed in this article, as is the evidence for involvement of an endogenous human beta-retrovirus, HERV-K.
Modes of interaction are also reviewed and linkages to the APOBEC3 family are suggested.
PMID:
25217613
DOI:
10.1099/vir.0.070631-0