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Journal of Virology, October 2001, p. 8917-8926, Vol. 75, No. 19
0022-538X/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JVI.75.19.8917-8926.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

HERV-K(OLD): Ancestor Sequences of the Human Endogenous Retrovirus Family HERV-K(HML-2)

Katrin Reus,1 Jens Mayer,1,2 Marlies Sauter,3 Hans Zischler,4 Nikolaus Müller-Lantzsch,3 and Eckart Meese1,*

Institut für Humangenetik1 and Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Abteilung Virologie,3 Universitätskliniken des Saarlandes, Homburg/Saar, and Primate Genetics, German Primate Center, Göttingen,4 Germany, and Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania2

Received 26 February 2001/Accepted 19 June 2001

Sequences homologous to the human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) family HERV-K(HML-2) are present in all Old World primate species. A previous study showed that a central region of the HERV-K(HML-2) gag genes in Hominoidea species displays a 96-bp deletion compared to the gag genes in lower Old World primates. The more ancient HERV-K(HML-2) sequences present in lower Old World primates were apparently not conserved during hominoid evolution, as opposed to the deletion variants. To further clarify the evolutionary origin of the HERV-K(HML-2) family, we screened GenBank with the 96-bp gag-sequence characteristic of lower Old World primates and identified, to date, 10 human sequence entries harboring either full-length or partially deleted proviral structures, probably representing remnants of a more ancient HERV-K(HML-2) variant. The high degree of mutations demonstrates the long-time presence of these HERV-K(OLD) proviruses in the genome. Nevertheless, they still belong to the HML-2 family as deduced from dot matrix and phylogenetic analyses. We estimate, based on the family ages of integrated Alu elements and on long terminal repeat (LTR) divergence data, that the average age of HERV-K(OLD) proviruses is ca. 28 million years, supporting an integration time before the evolutionary split of Hominoidea from lower Old World primates. Analysis of HERV-K(OLD) LTR sequences led to the distinction of two subgroups, both of which cluster with LTRs belonging to an evolutionarily older cluster. Taken together, our data give further insight into the evolutionary history of the HERV-K(HML-2) family during primate evolution.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut für Humangenetik, Bau 60, Universität des Saarlandes, 66421 Homburg/Saar, Germany. Phone: 49-6841-1626038. Fax: 49-6841-1626186. E-mail: hgemee{at}med-rz.uni-sb.de.

Journal of Virology, October 2001, p. 8917-8926, Vol. 75, No. 19
0022-538X/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JVI.75.19.8917-8926.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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