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Reproductive biology

A provirus put to work

Nature volume 403, pages 715–717 (2000)Cite this article

The genetic information of retroviruses consists of single-stranded RNA, and an essential step in retroviral replication involves the integration of a reverse-transcribed form of that RNA, as double-stranded DNA, into the genome of the infected cell to form a provirus. In this way, retroviruses can colonize the host germ line and be inherited as endogenous retroviruses (ERVs)1. The upshot, over evolutionary time, is the presence of thousands of proviruses in the human genome.

Retroviruses are usually associated with harmful consequences. But they, or their gene products, can also be beneficial, particularly in preventing infection by other retroviruses. On page 785 of this issue2, Mi et al. provide evidence that one particular ERV may be essential in human physiology in quite a different way — for the formation of the placenta.

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Figure 1: Possible functions of the endogenous retrovirus HERV-W in human placental development, prompted by the paper of Mi et al.2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Virology National Institute for Medical Research, Medical Research Council, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, UK

    Jonathan P. Stoye

  2. Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, 02111, Massachusetts, USA

    John M Coffin

Authors
  1. Jonathan P. Stoye
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  2. John M Coffin
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Correspondence to Jonathan P. Stoye or John M Coffin.

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Stoye, J., Coffin, J. A provirus put to work. Nature 403, 715–717 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35001700

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