RetrovirologyPub Date : 2025-12-10DOI: 10.1186/s12977-025-00669-y
Emma F Harding, Banjo Webster, Tanu Sridhar, Lewis K Mercer, Peter A White
{"title":"Transcriptome mining reveals diversity and evolution of circulating and endogenous amphibian retroviruses.","authors":"Emma F Harding, Banjo Webster, Tanu Sridhar, Lewis K Mercer, Peter A White","doi":"10.1186/s12977-025-00669-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12977-025-00669-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The evolutionary history of retroviruses and their impact on vertebrate evolution remains poorly understood, particularly in non-mammalian hosts. In this study, we explore retroviruses associated with Amphibia through analysis of 169 RNA sequencing datasets from 102 amphibian species. Using a BLAST-based approach, we identified retroviral transcripts from assembled transcriptomes and phylogenetically characterise both their pol and env regions to elucidate their evolutionary history.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified the transcription of 18 novel and two previously described retroviruses with closest relatives in gammaretrovirus, epsilonretrovirus, betaretrovirus and spumaretrovirinae. Despite their differing pol phylogenies, we found that all amphibian retroviruses belong to the gamma-type envelope group (GTE). This suggests a common selection pressure for amphibian retroviruses to retain GTEs. Within these GTEs we also observed a new clade of alpharetrovirus-like envelopes in amphibians which form a sister clade to avian alpharetrovirus envelopes. Furthermore, we observe correlations between amphibian taxonomical order and retroviral diversity, with Gymnophiona (caecilians) harbouring the widest diversity of retroviruses whilst Anura (frogs and toads) harbour the fewest. Through mapping these transcribed retroviruses to their respective genomes (seven available) supplemented with observing ORF intactness, we determined that 14 of the 20 retroviruses are likely endogenous in origin yet are still transcribed in many amphibian tissues. These amphibian endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) have high genomic copy numbers: most (5/7) ERVs investigated have > 100 copies, and one of which has 9,219 integrations within the Ichthyophis bannanicus caecilian genome. This high retroviral load in amphibian genomes may suggest that these retroviruses have low pathogenicity, or may reflect a lack of transposon control mechanisms in amphibian cells.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Through the characterisation of metatranscriptomic and genomic data from retroviruses in this study, we provide insights into their evolution in amphibians and exemplify the diversity of Retroviridae in vertebrate genomes. The identification of novel retroviral clades, widespread transcription of endogenous retroviruses in amphibians and abundance of ERV copies suggests that Retroviridae have played a significant role in amphibian evolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":21123,"journal":{"name":"Retrovirology","volume":"22 1","pages":"13"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12690878/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145715702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RetrovirologyPub Date : 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1186/s12977-025-00671-4
Miyu Sonoda, Azusa Tanaka, Xueda Chen, Wenyi Zhang, Helen Kiik, Saumya Ramanayake, Kisato Nosaka, Norihiro Takenouchi, Masanori Nakagawa, Akihiro Fujimoto, Charles R M Bangham, Masao Matsuoka, Jun-Ichirou Yasunaga
{"title":"Intra-pol proviral open region of HTLV-1 controls the transcription from both long terminal repeats.","authors":"Miyu Sonoda, Azusa Tanaka, Xueda Chen, Wenyi Zhang, Helen Kiik, Saumya Ramanayake, Kisato Nosaka, Norihiro Takenouchi, Masanori Nakagawa, Akihiro Fujimoto, Charles R M Bangham, Masao Matsuoka, Jun-Ichirou Yasunaga","doi":"10.1186/s12977-025-00671-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12977-025-00671-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infects mainly CD4<sup>+</sup> T lymphocytes and causes both malignant and inflammatory diseases: the aggressive malignancy known as Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and several chronic inflammatory syndromes. HTLV-1 infection is established by integration of proviral DNA (~9000 bp) into the host genome. In HTLV-1, two viral genes, tax and HBZ, play critical roles in viral transcription and promotion of T-cell proliferation, respectively. The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that the higher-order structure of proviral chromatin regulates its transcription on both the plus strand and the minus strand.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>ATAC-seq analysis identified an open chromatin region in the pol gene of proviral DNA, which we name IPOR, in many ATL cases. Using reporter assays, it was found that the sequence of IPOR suppresses the transcription of the plus strand and activates that of the minus strand. Binding motifs of Eomes and TEAD proteins were predicted in this region, and we confirmed recruitment of the transcription factors to their respective motifs by ChIP-qPCR. A mutant of IPOR which cannot bind the transcription factors weakened the transcriptional activating effects compared with the wild type, suggesting that the IPOR and those transcription factors suppress the 5' long terminal repeat (LTR) but activate the 3'LTR. In addition, a mutant HTLV-1 molecular clone, which possesses the IPOR mutant, produced a higher titer of virus than the wild type. RNA-seq analysis of HTLV-1-infected cell lines, in which Tax expression can be traced after induction, revealed that EOMES expression decreases during the tax transcriptional burst and resumes following termination of the burst. These findings suggested that the expression dynamics of Eomes affect the transient expression of Tax.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The IPOR sequence appears to regulate the transcription from both LTRs, suppressing the 5'LTR but activating the 3'LTR. Recruitment of Eomes to the IPOR is likely to influence the expression of Tax and HBZ. Since both viral genes are involved in diverse mechanisms for viral replication, cellular proliferation, and immune regulation, the IPOR may play a role in fine-tuning the modes of viral persistence in vivo.</p>","PeriodicalId":21123,"journal":{"name":"Retrovirology","volume":" ","pages":"1"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12797934/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145709052","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RetrovirologyPub Date : 2025-09-19DOI: 10.1186/s12977-025-00668-z
Akmal Zubair, Muhammad Ali, Safa Wdidi, Adel Qlayel Alkhedaide, Luigi Santacroce
{"title":"Unveiling the dynamics: understanding the current scenario and drivers of HIV epidemiology in Pakistan.","authors":"Akmal Zubair, Muhammad Ali, Safa Wdidi, Adel Qlayel Alkhedaide, Luigi Santacroce","doi":"10.1186/s12977-025-00668-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12977-025-00668-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Over the past two decades, the global HIV/AIDS pandemic has emerged as one of the most pressing health concerns worldwide. In low-income countries, where resources are scarce, both the prevalence of HIV and the associated mortality rates have been steadily increasing. According to the national AIDS control program, approximately 74,619 individuals in Pakistan are living with HIV/AIDS, with cases distributed across various provinces and autonomous territories. The country's low literacy rate poses a significant barrier to understanding preventive measures, thereby facilitating the uncontrolled transmission of HIV through sexual intercourse, blood transfusions, and the use of contaminated medical equipment. Vulnerable populations include persons engaged in sex work, transgender individuals, males who have sex with men, and those who inject drugs. The movement and relocation of people, particularly in Karachi, are significant factors in the high prevalence of HIV. In Pakistan, where 20% of drug users are HIV positive the HIV positive population and is still spreading among injection drug users (IDUs). Male sex workers and transgender people who engage in sexual interactions with intravenous drug users are experiencing new outbreaks in some locations. HIV risk behaviors are influenced by limited awareness, social stigma, and inadequate harm reduction programs. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is spreading rapidly throughout Pakistan. This review article aims to identify the various factors that are involved in HIV epidemiology in Pakistan.</p>","PeriodicalId":21123,"journal":{"name":"Retrovirology","volume":"22 1","pages":"12"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12447604/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145092484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RetrovirologyPub Date : 2025-07-01DOI: 10.1186/s12977-025-00667-0
Corrado Gurgo, Genoveffa Franchini
{"title":"t-RNA mediates provirus deletion in HIV-infected cells.","authors":"Corrado Gurgo, Genoveffa Franchini","doi":"10.1186/s12977-025-00667-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12977-025-00667-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In the early phase of HIV infection, as studied in vitro, high levels of unintegrated (both linear and circular) and integrated (provirus) forms of viral DNA are seen, and cells produce high levels of virus. In time, the level of unintegrated DNA declines, followed by a progressive decline in virus expression. Extensive studies of the proviral landscape in people living with HIV (PLWH) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) show that only about 2% of proviruses are intact; the remainder are characterized as defective and contain numerous deletions of proviral DNA segments and hypermutations. In the current study, we investigated the decline of viral expression in infected T cells in search of mechanisms involved in proviral inactivation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We derived clonal lines from Jurkat cells infected with HIV MN and monitored them for viral expression over time in culture. In a subset of clones that displayed a decline in expression, we found provirus containing large deletions and the integration of a retrotranscribed molecule of tRNA<sup>Gly</sup> adjacent to the 3'-end of the proviral DNA. We provide evidence linking the proviral deletions to the insertion of a reverse transcribed tRNA<sup>Gly</sup> molecule and propose a mechanism for its self-primed reverse transcription.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Large deletions of proviral DNA have been reported in PLWH on ART and attributed to errors that occurred in the synthesis of the minus strand during the reverse transcription of the viral genome. Our results support an additional mechanism for proviral deletions, mediated by tRNA<sup>Gly</sup>, in the inactivation of the provirus.</p>","PeriodicalId":21123,"journal":{"name":"Retrovirology","volume":"22 1","pages":"11"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12220202/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144542035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RetrovirologyPub Date : 2025-05-29DOI: 10.1186/s12977-025-00665-2
Jie Ma, Jinjin Liu, Shuguang Wei, Mingjie Hou, Qingxia Zhao, Yuqi Huo
{"title":"Drug resistance and genetic transmission characteristics of HIV-1 CRF55_01B in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Henan Province, China.","authors":"Jie Ma, Jinjin Liu, Shuguang Wei, Mingjie Hou, Qingxia Zhao, Yuqi Huo","doi":"10.1186/s12977-025-00665-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12977-025-00665-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Among the many CRFs, CRF55_01B was the first CRF01_AE and subtype B recombinant strain identified around 2013 among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Shenzhen, China. With rapid spreading throughout the country, CRF55_01B has attracted much attention in recent years. This study aimed to analyze its prevalence of drug resistance and transmission characteristics in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Henan province, China so as to pay particular attention to this group of individuals to reduce the incidence of drug resistance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Two hundred and forty-five CRF55_01B-infected individuals, including 141 treatment-naïve and 104 treatment-experienced individuals, were enrolled. In treatment-naïve individuals, 6.38% (9/141) of them harboured NRTI DRMs and 19.15% (27/141) of them harboured NNRTI DRMs except V179E/D. In treatment-experienced individuals, 2.00% (2/100) harboured INSTI DRMs, 82.69% (86/104) of them harboured NRTI DRMs, and 88.46% (92/104) of them harboured NNRTI DRMs except V179E/D. The overall prevalence of ADR was 89.42% (93/104), while the prevalence of PDR was 19.86% (28/141). A total of 23 transmission clusters, accounting for 37.55% (92/245) of the total sequences, were identified. The clusters ranged in size from 2 to 19, and 15 (65.22%) had 3 or more sequences.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>High prevalence of DRMs and drug resistance were observed in CRF55_01B in both treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced individuals, particular attention should be paid to this group of individuals to reduce the incidence of drug resistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":21123,"journal":{"name":"Retrovirology","volume":"22 1","pages":"9"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12121082/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144182017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RetrovirologyPub Date : 2025-05-02DOI: 10.1186/s12977-025-00664-3
Shanshan Wang, Tongtong Du, Jun Yan, Yingcheng Zheng, Yinglian Tang, Juejie Wu, Qian Xu, Shanshan Xu, Luo Liu, Xiong Chen, Song Han, Jun Yin, Biwen Peng, Xiaohua He, Wanhong Liu
{"title":"Retroviral foamy virus gag induces parkin-dependent mitophagy.","authors":"Shanshan Wang, Tongtong Du, Jun Yan, Yingcheng Zheng, Yinglian Tang, Juejie Wu, Qian Xu, Shanshan Xu, Luo Liu, Xiong Chen, Song Han, Jun Yin, Biwen Peng, Xiaohua He, Wanhong Liu","doi":"10.1186/s12977-025-00664-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12977-025-00664-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Prototype foamy virus (PFV) is a complex retrovirus that can maintain latent infection for life after viral infection of the host. However, the mechanism of latent infection with PFV remains unclear. Our previous studies have shown that PFV promotes autophagy flux, but whether PFV causes mitophagy remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In this study, we demonstrated that PFV infection damages mitochondria, increases mitochondria reactive oxygen species (mtROS) production, and induces mitophagy in a time-dependent manner. Further investigation revealed that PFV Gag is a crucial protein responsible for triggering mitophagy. The overexpression of Gag leads to mitochondrial damage and stimulates mitophagy in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, overexpression of Gag activates the PINK1-Parkin signaling pathway, while the knockdown of Parkin inhibits Gag-induced mitophagy. Furthermore, Rab5a was significantly upregulated in cells overexpressed Gag, and the inhibition of Rab5a reversed the effects of Gag-induced mitophagy.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our data suggested that PFV can induce mitophagy and Gag induces Parkin-dependent mitophagy by upregulating Rab5a. These findings not only enhance a better understanding of the foamy virus infection mechanisms but also provide critical insights into novel virus-host cell interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":21123,"journal":{"name":"Retrovirology","volume":"22 1","pages":"7"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12048983/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144009717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RetrovirologyPub Date : 2025-05-02DOI: 10.1186/s12977-025-00663-4
Carolina Amianti, Larissa Melo Bandeira, Aline Pedroso Lorenz, Tayana Serpa Ortiz Tanaka, João Américo Domingos, Ana Rita Coimbra Motta-Castro
{"title":"HTLV-1 Japanese subgroup in Brazil: phylogenetic and migratory history.","authors":"Carolina Amianti, Larissa Melo Bandeira, Aline Pedroso Lorenz, Tayana Serpa Ortiz Tanaka, João Américo Domingos, Ana Rita Coimbra Motta-Castro","doi":"10.1186/s12977-025-00663-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12977-025-00663-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The retrovirus Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 is classified into different subtypes, and due to its low evolutionary rates, it can be used to explore geographic patterns of origin and dispersion of human populations. In Brazil, Transcontinental and Japanese subgroups, from the Cosmopolitan subtype, are the more common lineages, with prevalence rates notably higher among Japanese immigrants and their descendants. The study aimed to trace the history and circulation of the Japanese subgroup in Brazil using phylogenetic and populational analyses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 381 HTLV-1 long terminal repeat region sequences were retrieved from the GenBank database. Phylogenetic and molecular clock analysis were performed using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference methods. A median-joining network was constructed to assess the relationships among the haplotypes of the Japanese subgroup.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This study found that the HTLV-1 LTR sequences from Japanese immigrants and their descendants in Brazil formed two major clades, Transcontinental (HTLV-1aTC) and Japanese (HTLV-1aJpn). Seventy-four haplotypes were identified in the haplotype network and the estimate of Japanese clade divergence dates 18,748 years ago (95% CI13,348 to 24,767 years).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our study corroborates the recent migratory movements as the potential mechanism for HTLV-1aJpn introduction in Brazil.</p>","PeriodicalId":21123,"journal":{"name":"Retrovirology","volume":"22 1","pages":"8"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12049011/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144064471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RetrovirologyPub Date : 2025-04-18DOI: 10.1186/s12977-025-00662-5
Chuantiao Zhang, Tingting Xie, Yuantao Liu, Yang Cao
{"title":"Therapeutic efficacy of albuvirtide-based antiretroviral therapy in people living with HIV who have low-level viremia and non-AIDS-defining malignancies: two case reports.","authors":"Chuantiao Zhang, Tingting Xie, Yuantao Liu, Yang Cao","doi":"10.1186/s12977-025-00662-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12977-025-00662-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>People living with HIV (PLWH) who experience low-level viremia (LLV) face unique challenges in disease management, particularly when diagnosed with concurrent malignancies. Albuvirtide (ABT), a long-acting HIV fusion inhibitor approved in China, has shown promise in clinical trials for treatment-experienced individuals. However, its efficacy in managing LLV in the context of concurrent malignancies remains under-explored.</p><p><strong>Case presentation: </strong>We report two cases of PLWH with LLV who developed non-AIDS-defining cancers(NADCs). The first individual developed lung squamous cell carcinoma, and the second was diagnosed with breast cancer. Both patients received ABT as part of their optimized antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen during their cancer treatment course. After treatment optimization, both cases achieved viral suppression (HIV-1 RNA < 50 copies/mL) with improvements in CD4 + T cell counts. Both patients received appropriate cancer treatments according to clinical practice guidelines. The patient diagnosed with lung cancer required an adjustment to his PD-1 inhibitor monotherapy due to intolerance to chemotherapy, whereas the breast cancer patient successfully completed her planned multimodal treatment regimen.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These cases suggest potential benefits of ABT-containing ART regimens in PLWH who have LLV and concurrent NADCs. While two cases cannot establish definitive conclusions, they highlight the need for larger studies investigating the role of ABT in this complex clinical scenario.</p>","PeriodicalId":21123,"journal":{"name":"Retrovirology","volume":"22 1","pages":"6"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12008952/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144012359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RetrovirologyPub Date : 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1186/s12977-025-00661-6
Ryo Yanagiya, So Nakagawa, Makoto Onizuka, Ai Kotani
{"title":"Aberrant expression of human endogenous retrovirus K9-derived elements is associated with better clinical outcome of acute myelocytic leukemia.","authors":"Ryo Yanagiya, So Nakagawa, Makoto Onizuka, Ai Kotani","doi":"10.1186/s12977-025-00661-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12977-025-00661-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) is a common hematological malignancy in adults. Although several risk stratifications based on cytogenetic and molecular abnormalities are available to guide the indications for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), determining optimal treatment strategies for AML remains challenging. In this study, using transcriptome datasets, we investigated the association between event-free survival (EFS) in intensively treated AML patients and the aberrant expression of endogenous viral element (EVE)-derived open reading frames (ORFs), which have been reported to be associated with the pathophysiology of various malignancies and have the potential to serve as neoantigens in specific cancers.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The expression levels of human endogenous retrovirus family K9 (HERVK9) ORFs were associated with EFS, independent of conventional risk stratification. Furthermore, AML cells with higher levels of HERVK9 expression exhibited enhanced antigen processing and presentation, along with increased expression of genes associated with adaptive immune responses and apoptosis, indicating that aberrant HERVK9 expression may initiate an anti-neoplastic immune response via increased antigen presentation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>HERVK9 expression may have serve as a crucial prognostic indicator that could aid in determining the indications for upfront allo-HCT in AML patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":21123,"journal":{"name":"Retrovirology","volume":"22 1","pages":"4"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11959769/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143754425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}