Does HERV-K Cause a Fraction of Human Breast Cancer
Abstract
HERV-K is an endogenous retrovirus of humans that is related to MMTV, the mammary carcinogenic virus of mice, and type-D primate retroviruses. All humans inherit about 30 HERV-K proviruses (retrovirus DNA genomes integrated into the DNA of the host) in germline DNA from their parents. Experiments were undertaken to test whether HERV-K can cause breast cancer in humans today. The genomes of primary breast tumor cells were searched for somatically acquired HERV-K proviruses in samples of human breast tumors. In a set of 17 such samples, no somatically acquired proviruses were detected. However, this work did lead to the discovery of the first germline insertional polymorphisms of endogenous retroviruses in humans (HERV-K proviruses that are in some people but not others), an important result that emphasizes the recent ability of this retrovirus to infect humans. In summary, results to date show that HERV-K is likely capable of reinfecting humans today, but there is no evidence yet for a role in breast cancer. Examination of additional breast carcinoma samples is continuing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA398679
Entities
People
- Jack Lenz
Organizations
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine