Endogenous retrovirus group 3 member 3 (ERV3)

Endogenous retrovirus group H member 3 (ERVH-3) refers to a human endogenous retroviral element closely related to the HERV-H or HERV3/HERV-R family. These loci are remnants of ancient retroviral infections integrated into the human genome. ERV3, which may be the most studied analog, is transcribed in numerous normal tissues, with complex and cell-specific regulation, and is particularly active in placenta and during development. In disease, ERV3 expression is observed in several cancers and proposed in autoimmune conditions, but causality is unproven. The biological functions of the locus, if any, may include regulation of neighboring genes and immunomodulation via a retroviral envelope-derived immunosuppressive domain. The clinical and pharmacological relevance remains undetermined; ERVH-3 is not currently considered a validated therapeutic target. Note: “ERVH-3” is not a canonical, functionally validated target but likely refers to a predicted or database-specific locus within the endogenous retrovirus H family or possibly a misannotation. The closest literature refers mainly to ERV3/HERV-R or the larger HERV-H family, both of which are not established therapeutic targets but are of interest in molecular pathology and epigenetics research.

Other names

HERV-HHERV-FERV3RP11-301G19.1TCONS_l2_00025412HERV-H/F