マツイ タケシ   Takeshi Matsui
  松井 毅
   所属   応用生物学部 応用生物学科
   職種   教授
言語種別 英語
発行・発表の年月 2025/09
形態種別 学術論文
査読 査読あり
標題 Activation of human endogenous retroviruses by Sox proteins induces cell apoptosis via the caspase-3 pathway.
執筆形態 共著
掲載誌名 Frontiers in Microbiology
掲載区分国外
出版社・発行元 frontiers
巻・号・頁 16
総ページ数 15
担当範囲 Analysis of electron microscopy
著者・共著者 Jakir Hossain, Nami Monde, Hiroyuki Sasaki,
Perpetual Nyame, Wright Andrews Ofotsu Amesimeku, Hiromi Terasawa, Sojiro Matsumura, Takeshi Matsui, Hiroyasu Tsutsuki, Yosuke Maeda, Tomohiro Sawa, Kazuaki Monde
概要 Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) were domesticated millions of years
ago as ancestral relics through germline infections and have become part
of the human genome (8.3%). Over time, HERVs lost their innate ability to
become virulent. We have previously reported that the transcription factor Sox2
is critical for human endogenous retrovirus-K (HERV-K) LTR5H activation and
transposition in induced pluripotent stem cells. In the present study, we identified
HERV-K LTR5H and LTR5B activation following Sox overexpression. In addition,
we found that HERV-K Gag localized in the plasma membrane and that virus-like
particles were released from Sox-expressing cells. Notably, a deformed nucleus
was induced by cleaved caspase-3 in the HERV-K Gag-expressing cells. The
caspase-3 inhibitors increased the number of HERV-K Gag-expressing cells by
inhibiting the apoptotic pathway. Furthermore, retrotransposition of HERV-K
was significantly enhanced in Sox2-expressing cells treated with caspase-3
inhibitors. Taken together, these results indicate that several Sox proteins increase
HERV-K expression with cleaved caspase-3, suggesting that induction of the
cell apoptotic pathway prevents genome impairment by HERV-K expression
and retrotransposition.