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Immunogenicity of the Envelope Surface Unit of Human Endogenous Retrovirus K18 in Mice

The triggers for the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) have not been fully understood
to date. One hypothesis proposes a viral etiology. Interestingly, viral proteins from human
endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) may play a role in the pathogenesis of MS. Allelic variants of
the HERV-K18 env gene represent a genetic risk factor for MS, and the envelope protein is considered
to be an Epstein–Barr virus-trans-activated superantigen. To further specify a possible role for
HERV-K18 in MS, the present study examined the immunogenicity of the purified surface unit (SU).
HERV-K18(SU) induced envelope-specific plasma IgG in immunized mice and triggered proliferation
of T cells isolated from these mice. It did not trigger phenotypic changes in a mouse model of experimental
autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Further studies are needed to investigate the underlying
mechanisms of HERV-K18 interaction with immune system regulators in more detail.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:89174
Date22 January 2024
CreatorsIlse, Victoria, Scholz, Rebekka, Wermann, Michael, Naumann, Marcel, Staege, Martin S., Roßner, Steffen, Cynis, Holger
PublisherMDPI
Source SetsHochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text
Rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Relation8330

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