Pathological manifestation of human endogenous retrovirus K in frontotemporal dementia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a common form of younger-onset dementia with a proportion of cases overlapping pathologically and genetically with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Previous studies have identified that the human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) is elevated in ALS serum and is associated with ALS TDP-43 pathology. In contrast, little is known about HERV-K changes in bvFTD. Here, we investigated the possible role of HERV-K in bvFTD.

Methods

We measured the HERV-K env gene in sporadic bvFTD (N=63), sporadic ALS (N=89) and control (N=21) serum by ddPCR. We also analyzed HERV-K env, by qPCR, and the HERV-K reverse transcriptase protein, by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy, in the disease-affected superior fr

SUBMITTER: Phan K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8788987 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature