ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2013
Captured retroviral envelope syncytin gene associated with the unique placental structure of higher ruminants.
Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 91 papers.
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91 citing papers in PubMed, 160 citations in OpenAlex.
- An ancient alpharetrovirus lineage in bats: Evolutionary insights and possible roles in reproduction.PLoS genetics · 2026Article
- A longitudinal single-nucleus transcriptomic atlas of bovine placentation reveals dynamic cellular hierarchies and regulatory programs.Genome biology · 2026Article
- Retroviruses and Cancer: Coevolution and Genetic Exchanges Between the Viral and the Host Genomes.Biology · 2026Article
- Beyond Genetic Conservation: The Baton Pass Model of Essential Biological Functions.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Directed differentiation of bovine trophoblast stem cells: A useful in vitro model for placenta development.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Placenta-Driven Evolution: Viral Gene Acquisition andBiomolecules · 2026Review
- Viviparity and beyond: captured endogenous retroviral envelope genes drive teleost physiological innovations.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Dynamic evolution of retroviral envelope-derived sequences in primates.Virus evolution · 2026Article
- Update on endogenous retroviruses in cattle placenta.The Journal of reproduction and development · 2026Review
- Birth of protein-coding exons by ancient domestication of LINE-1 retrotransposon.Genome research · 2025Article
- Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transitions Leading to Conceptus Adhesion in Ruminants: Early Pregnancy Events in Cattle.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Trophoblast Fusion in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Preeclampsia.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- A genome-wide study of ruminants uncovers two endogenous retrovirus families recently active in goats.Mobile DNA · 2025Article
- Sodium-dependent phosphate transporter PiT1/SLC20A1 as the receptor for the endogenous retroviral envelope syncytin-B involved in mouse placenta formation.Journal of virology · 2024Article
- Progressive Exaptation of Endogenous Retroviruses in Placental Evolution in Cattle.Biomolecules · 2023Review
- Acquisition and Exaptation of Endogenous Retroviruses in Mammalian Placenta.Biomolecules · 2023Review
- Evolutionary conservation of an ancient retroviralJournal of virology · 2023Article
- Retrovirus-Derived RTL/SIRH: Their Diverse Roles in the Current Eutherian Developmental System and Contribution to Eutherian Evolution.Biomolecules · 2023Review
- Identification of a syncytin gene in a non-rodent laboratory mammal, Suncus murinus.The Journal of veterinary medical science · 2023Article
- Envelope Recombination: A Major Driver in Shaping Retroviral Diversification and Evolution within the Host Genome.Viruses · 2023Review
31 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Syncytins are envelope genes of retroviral origin that have been co-opted for a role in placentation and likely contribute to the remarkable diversity of placental structures. Independent capture events have been identified in primates, rodents, lagomorphs, and carnivores, where they are involved in the formation of a syncytium layer at the fetomaternal interface via trophoblast cell-cell fusion. We searched for similar genes within the suborder Ruminantia where the placenta lacks an extended syncytium layer but displays a heterologous cell-fusion process unique among eutherian mammals. An in silico search for intact envelope genes within the Bos taurus genome identified 18 candidates belonging to five endogenous retrovirus families, with one gene displaying both placenta-specific expression, as assessed by quantitative RT-PCR analyses of a large panel of tissues, and conservation in the Ovis aries genome. Both the bovine and ovine orthologs displayed fusogenic activity by conferring infectivity on retroviral pseudotypes and triggering cell-cell fusion. In situ hybridization of placenta sections revealed specific expression in the trophoblast binucleate cells, consistent with a role in the formation--by heterologous cell fusion with uterine cells--of the trinucleate cells of the cow and the syncytial plaques of the ewe. Finally, we show that this gene, which we named "Syncytin-Rum1," is conserved among 16 representatives of higher ruminants, with evidence for purifying selection and conservation of its fusogenic properties, over 30 millions years of evolution. These data argue for syncytins being a major driving force in the emergence and diversity of the placenta.
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