Roles of endogenous retrovirus- and other LTR retrotransposon-derived proteins and peptides in neurological disorders, oncogenesis, and host defense
Abstract
LTR retrotransposons, including endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), constitute approximately 9% of the human genome and represent remnants of ancient mobile genetic elements. Although most of these sequences have accumulated truncations and mutations and have long been regarded as genomic relics, accumulating evidence indicates that ERV- and other LTR retrotransposon-derived proteins and peptides are involved in various diseases and may serve as possible therapeutic targets. In this review, we summarize recent studies on how these proteins and peptides contribute to human health and disease across three major domains: neurological disorders, oncogenesis, and host defense. Continued advances in nucleotide sequencing technologies and proteomics are expected to further expand our understanding of the biological and pathological roles of endogenous retrovirus- and other LTR retrotransposon-derived proteins and peptides.
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BibTeX
@article{saitoh2026roles,
title = {{Roles of endogenous retrovirus- and other LTR retrotransposon-derived proteins and peptides in neurological disorders, oncogenesis, and host defense}},
author = {Noi Saitoh and Ryo Yanagiya and Yi Cong and So Nakagawa},
journal = {Genes \& Genetic Systems},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1266/ggs.26-00069},
url = {https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ggs/advpub/0/advpub_26-00069/_article},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Roles of endogenous retrovirus- and other LTR retrotransposon-derived proteins and peptides in neurological disorders, oncogenesis, and host defense
AU - Noi Saitoh
AU - Ryo Yanagiya
AU - Yi Cong
AU - So Nakagawa
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Genes & Genetic Systems
DO - 10.1266/ggs.26-00069
UR - https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ggs/advpub/0/advpub_26-00069/_article
AB - LTR retrotransposons, including endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), constitute approximately 9% of the human genome and represent remnants of ancient mobile genetic elements. Although most of these sequences have accumulated truncations and mutations and have long been regarded as genomic relics, accumulating evidence indicates that ERV- and other LTR retrotransposon-derived proteins and peptides are involved in various diseases and may serve as possible therapeutic targets. In this review, we summarize recent studies on how these proteins and peptides contribute to human health and disease across three major domains: neurological disorders, oncogenesis, and host defense. Continued advances in nucleotide sequencing technologies and proteomics are expected to further expand our understanding of the biological and pathological roles of endogenous retrovirus- and other LTR retrotransposon-derived proteins and peptides.
SN - 1880-5779
SN - 1341-7568
ER -