Expression of Human Endogenous Retroviruses in Endometriosis and Ovarian Cancer

[Annikki]

This study from 2006 discusses the role of endogenous retroviruses in endometriosis and ovarian cancer. Endogenous retroviruses aren't externally contracted viruses, but left-over genetic sequences of retroviruses in the human genome, which originated from viruses which human beings became infected with in the distant past.

Endogenous viruses are normally benign and cause no problems. However, sometimes, particularly when the immune system is stressed, these latent viruses or viral genetic sequences can reactivate.

Endometriosis is a condition in which uterine cells are found in strange places, ie., areas outside of the uterus.

Expression of Human Endogenous Retroviruses in Endometriosis and Ovarian Cancer
https://www.researchgate.net/public...roviruses_in_Endometriosis_and_Ovarian_Cancer
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) probably originate from ancient germ cell infections by exogenous retroviruses. A high expression of retroviruses in reproductive tissue increases the risk of viral transmission to germ line cells. We therefore investigated the expression of human ERVs (HERVs) in normal endometrium, endometriosis, normal ovaries, and ovarian cancer. Four real-time PCRs (QPCRs) for HERV-E, HERV-I/T, HERV-H, and HERV-W, respectively, and an expression control gene were used. HERV-E RNA expression was significantly higher in endometriotic tissue (average, SD) than in normal endometrium (average, SD), both measured as ratios versus control gene expression and as. HERV-E and HERV-W RNA were higher in normal ovarian tissue than in ovarian cancer. This illustrates that HERV expression is not automatically higher in malignant tissues. The other HERV PCRs did not show expression patterns as distinctive as HERVE and HERV-W in the two kinds of reproductive tissue. A small number of candidate HERV-E loci from which the transcription took place were identified by sequencing of amplimers. The role of HERV-E and HERV-W in endometriosis merits further investigation.

Since the primary trait of endometriosis is the presence of endometrial cells in inappropriate places in the human body, viruses could be a logical source of this erratic cellular replication. Abnormal cellular proliferation could be understood, in some cases, as a manifestation of the replication cycle of a virus or active viral genetic sequence.

Viruses have been found to cause cancers. Cancer, like endometriosis, involve the unusual and unhelpful replication of cells. The wrong cells in the wrong part of the body create problems The result is of this is disease. "Normal" human body cells which proliferate at the instigation of the virus and erratic cell replication can easily be understood as a pathogen's replication process.

This is what I find best explains endometriosis.