The Human Endogenous Retroviral (HERV) Element Syncytin is a Steroid-inducible Oncogene over-expressed in endometrial cancer

Aims: The sequence of the Human Endogenous Retrovirus family (HERV) makes up to 5% of the human genome. They are the rest of retroviral infections during the primate evolution. Several subtypes are involved in pysiologic and pathophysiologic processes. HERV Type K is activated in about 50% of all breast cancers. In testicular tumors HERV-K is overexpressed as well. HERV-R can be detected in lung cancers. The expression of HERV-K-can be induced in vitro by steroid hormones in breast cancer cell lines. The HERV-protein Syncytin the envelope protein of HERV-W, which could be indentified as a transmembrane protein i…