Burn-induced alterations in human endogenous retrovirus transcriptional activity in peripheral blood

BACKGROUND: Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) make up approximately 8% of the human genome and play a role in modulating inflammatory and immune responses. Burns are complex injuries that induce both local and systemic effects, primarily due to prolonged inflammatory responses. This study investigates the regulation of HERV expression after burn injury by analyzing the transcript levels of the pol genes of HERV-H, HERV-K and HERV-W in whole blood from burn patients and healthy controls.METHODS: The transcript levels of the HERV-H, HERV-K and HERV-W pol genes were quantified using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in whole blood samples collected from burn patients both on admission to hospital and on discharge from hospital.RESULTS: The pol genes of HERV-H, HERV-K and HERV-W were transcriptionally active in both healthy subjects and burn patients. However, their expression was significantly lower in patients with severe burns on admission than in healthy controls or in the same patients on discharge suggesting a dynamic expression pattern linked to injury and recovery phases.CONCLUSIONS: The observed reduction in HERV pol gene expression in burn patients may be related to the decreased IFN-γ levels reported in literature suggesting a potential link between immune response dysregulation and endogenous retrovirus modulation in burn injury. These findings highlight HERVs’ potential role as biomarkers and modulators of immune status following severe burn injury.