Human endogenous retrovirus HERV-K113 is capable of producing intact viral particles.

Of all human endogenous retroviruses known today, HERV-K is the only one that has been shown to produce viral particles. While the first of the approximately 30 HERV-K sequences integrated into the human genome more than 40 million years ago, evidence is accumulating that HERV-K was active more recently, provirus HERV-K113 being the youngest sequence found. However, it is unclear which HERV-K sequences code for the viral particles that are produced by human germ-cell tumours or melanomas. Here, we show that the provirus HERV-K113, cloned into a baculovirus expression vector, is capable of producing intact particles of retroviral morphology, exhibiting the typical structure of those particles that were characterized in cell lines derived from human germ-cell tumours. Thus, the HERV-K113 sequence is a candidate for particle production in vivo and for an active human endogenous retrovirus of today.