Endogenous retroviruses: potential etiologic agents in autoimmunity

The genomes of all organisms, from yeast to humans, contain thousands of endogenous retroviruses (ERV). In most species all or almost all ERV are noninfectious, but some ERV retain open reading frames capable of encoding proteins. RNA and proteins derived from ERV are expressed in humans and other species. Until recently, there was little evidence that this ERV expression resulted in any immunologic effects. Recent studies make it increasingly clear that some ERV have important immunologic effects. The immune effects of ERV expression raise the question of a possible pathogenic role in idiopathic autoimmune diseases. Interest in this question has been heightened by the observation that some infectious retroviruses cause manifestations of autoimmunity. Nonetheless, attempts to isolate infectious retroviruses from patients with idiopathic autoimmune diseases have generally failed. The possible role of ERV in idiopathic autoimmune diseases has not yet been fully explored. This review focuses on the known and the potential immune effects of ERV, especially as they may relate to autoimmune diseases.