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Ancient viruses in our genes were considered “DNA junk.” But retroviruses are more active than previously thought – and could play a role in diseases such as depression.
London – Whether someone develops a mental illness or not depends on various factors. The Corona pandemic, for example, caused a rapid increase, as the World Health Organization (WHO) foundA new study now shows that old viruses in our DNA can also be a risk factor for mental illness. This could revolutionize research into mental health.
Hidden risks in DNA: millions of years old retroviruses
Since Corona at the latest, the various ways in which viruses are transmitted have been well known: through the air or via droplet infection, for example. So-called human endogenous retroviruses, or HERVs for short, on the other hand, are ancient viruses that are passed on from generation to generation via the human genome. Their age is remarkable: Studies suggest that the majority of so-called insertions of HERV into the human DNA sequence occurred about 1.2 million years ago.
“Until recently, it was assumed that these ‘fossil viruses’ were simply DNA junk and had no important function in the body,” report the researchers led by Rodrigo Duarte from King’s College, whose study has now revealed groundbreaking new findings.
The Human gene project had already revealedthat about eight percent of our genes come from retroviruses. As the study at the end of May Trade magazine Nature published study revealed that these old viruses could still be active. And even trigger mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Scientists already knew that mental disorders have a significant genetic component. But the research team led by Rodrigo Duarte from King’s College in London has now specified the risk factors.
Retroviruses in the brain: “Potential to revolutionize mental health research”
The researchers took post-mortem genetic material from 792 brains and also analyzed data from large genetic studies involving tens of thousands of people with and without mental illnesses. By comparing the data with a genome database, the scientists were able to determine which of the active genes in these people had a viral origin.
Of these, the researchers classified five as “high-risk HERVs.” Two of the retroviruses are specific to schizophrenia, one is associated with the risk of both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and another is significant in severe depression. However, the study did not provide any evidence that retroviruses could also be a risk factor for ADHD or autism.
“Our results suggest that these virus sequences probably play a more important role in the human brain than originally thought,” said one of the study authors, Timothy Powell on the results“We believe that a better understanding of these ancient viruses and the known genes involved in psychiatric disorders has the potential to revolutionize mental health research and lead to new treatments or diagnostics for these disorders,” commented Douglas Nixon, another co-author of the study. Further research is needed to better understand the function of HERVs.
Meanwhile, a breakthrough was made in Long Covid research. Researchers found the cause of the insidious “brain fog”.
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