Expression and Localization of a New Parvovirus-Derived Protein in the Guinea Pig

Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) are genomic sequences derived from viruses. Some EVEs have open reading frames (ORFs) that can express co-opted proteins in their host. Furthermore, some EVEs that are expressed as proteins have become part of cellular genes that are fusions of hosts and EVE sequence...

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Main Authors: Camila E. Osega, Fernando J. Bustos, Francisca C. Bronfman, Robert J. Gifford, Gloria Arriagada
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Viruses
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17/7/893
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author Camila E. Osega
Fernando J. Bustos
Francisca C. Bronfman
Robert J. Gifford
Gloria Arriagada
author_facet Camila E. Osega
Fernando J. Bustos
Francisca C. Bronfman
Robert J. Gifford
Gloria Arriagada
author_sort Camila E. Osega
collection DOAJ
description Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) are genomic sequences derived from viruses. Some EVEs have open reading frames (ORFs) that can express co-opted proteins in their host. Furthermore, some EVEs that are expressed as proteins have become part of cellular genes that are fusions of hosts and EVE sequences. Endogenous parvoviral elements (EPVs) are highly represented in mammalian genomes, and some of them contain ORFs and can be expressed as proteins. We have shown that an EPV containing an ORF is part of the guinea pig gene <i>enRep-M9l.</i> This gene is broadly transcribed in vivo, indicating that it can be translated into a protein. By generating antibodies against the <i>enRep</i> coding sequence of the <i>enRep-M9l</i> ORF, we showed that the protein enRep-M9l is expressed in vivo and in the guinea pig-derived cell line JH4. By immunofluorescence and in situ proximity ligation assays, we observed that enRep-M9l protein has a cytoplasmic localization near microtubules. The results of this study suggest that the guinea pig EPV-derived protein enRep-M9l is a microtubule-associated protein. To our knowledge, this is the second demonstration that an EPV-derived protein is expressed in vivo.
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spelling doaj-art-aa23aa428eb84d718f7d7c730316b0df2025-08-20T03:56:49ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152025-06-0117789310.3390/v17070893Expression and Localization of a New Parvovirus-Derived Protein in the Guinea PigCamila E. Osega0Fernando J. Bustos1Francisca C. Bronfman2Robert J. Gifford3Gloria Arriagada4Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina y Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago 8370071, ChileInstituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina y Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago 8370071, ChileInstituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina y Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago 8370071, ChileMRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UKInstituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina y Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago 8370071, ChileEndogenous viral elements (EVEs) are genomic sequences derived from viruses. Some EVEs have open reading frames (ORFs) that can express co-opted proteins in their host. Furthermore, some EVEs that are expressed as proteins have become part of cellular genes that are fusions of hosts and EVE sequences. Endogenous parvoviral elements (EPVs) are highly represented in mammalian genomes, and some of them contain ORFs and can be expressed as proteins. We have shown that an EPV containing an ORF is part of the guinea pig gene <i>enRep-M9l.</i> This gene is broadly transcribed in vivo, indicating that it can be translated into a protein. By generating antibodies against the <i>enRep</i> coding sequence of the <i>enRep-M9l</i> ORF, we showed that the protein enRep-M9l is expressed in vivo and in the guinea pig-derived cell line JH4. By immunofluorescence and in situ proximity ligation assays, we observed that enRep-M9l protein has a cytoplasmic localization near microtubules. The results of this study suggest that the guinea pig EPV-derived protein enRep-M9l is a microtubule-associated protein. To our knowledge, this is the second demonstration that an EPV-derived protein is expressed in vivo.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17/7/893parvovirusendogenous viral elementsevolution
spellingShingle Camila E. Osega
Fernando J. Bustos
Francisca C. Bronfman
Robert J. Gifford
Gloria Arriagada
Expression and Localization of a New Parvovirus-Derived Protein in the Guinea Pig
Viruses
parvovirus
endogenous viral elements
evolution
title Expression and Localization of a New Parvovirus-Derived Protein in the Guinea Pig
title_full Expression and Localization of a New Parvovirus-Derived Protein in the Guinea Pig
title_fullStr Expression and Localization of a New Parvovirus-Derived Protein in the Guinea Pig
title_full_unstemmed Expression and Localization of a New Parvovirus-Derived Protein in the Guinea Pig
title_short Expression and Localization of a New Parvovirus-Derived Protein in the Guinea Pig
title_sort expression and localization of a new parvovirus derived protein in the guinea pig
topic parvovirus
endogenous viral elements
evolution
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17/7/893
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AT robertjgifford expressionandlocalizationofanewparvovirusderivedproteinintheguineapig
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