Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26424568›Full record

ArticleScience translational medicine2015

Human endogenous retrovirus-K contributes to motor neuron disease.

Wenxue Li, Myoung-Hwa Lee, Lisa Henderson, Richa Tyagi, Muzna Bachani, Joseph Steiner, Emilie Campanac, Dax A Hoffman, Gloria von Geldern, Kory Johnson and 8 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Science translational medicine, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 308 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
308citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
30.9field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

308 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 485 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
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  9. Evolution ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
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  12. TDP-43: [GU]-ardian of the transcriptome.Molecular neurodegeneration · 2026
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248 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Wenxue LiSection of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Myoung-Hwa LeeSection of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Lisa HendersonSection of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Richa TyagiSection of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Muzna BachaniNeurotherapeutics Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Joseph SteinerNeurotherapeutics Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Emilie CampanacMolecular Neurophysiology and Biophysics Section, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Dax A HoffmanMolecular Neurophysiology and Biophysics Section, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Gloria von GeldernSection of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Kory JohnsonBioinformatics Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 21042, USA.
Dragan MaricSection of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
H Douglas MorrisMouse Imaging Facility, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 21042, USA.
Margaret LentzIntegrated Research Facility, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21042, USA.
Katherine PakLaboratory of Muscle Stem Cell and Gene Regulation, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 21042 , USA.
Andrew MammenLaboratory of Muscle Stem Cell and Gene Regulation, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 21042 , USA.
Lyle OstrowDepartment of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 28217, USA.
Jeffrey RothsteinDepartment of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 28217, USA.
Avindra NathSection of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. natha@ninds.nih.gov.
National Institutes of Health · USNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · USEunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development · US

Funding

Neuropathogenesis of Retroviral InfectionsZIANS003130 · NINDS · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE · PI NATH, AVINDRA · 2011 to 2025
$73.7M
Potassium Channels and Dendritic Function in Hippocampal Pyramidal NeuronsZIAHD008755 · NICHD · EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT · PI HOFFMAN, DAX A · 2009 to 2025
$29.6M
Muscle Disease UnitZIAAR041203 · NIAMS · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITIS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL AND SKIN DISEASES · PI MAMMEN, ANDREW · 2015 to 2025
$19.7M
Intramural NIH HHS ZIA NS003130
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The role of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) in disease pathogenesis is unclear. We show that HERV-K is activated in a subpopulation of patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and that its envelope (env) protein may contribute to neurodegeneration. The virus was expressed in cortical and spinal neurons of ALS patients, but not in neurons from control healthy individuals. Expression of HERV-K or its env protein in human neurons caused retraction and beading of neurites. Transgenic animals expressing the env gene developed progressive motor dysfunction accompanied by selective loss of volume of the motor cortex, decreased synaptic activity in pyramidal neurons, dendritic spine abnormalities, nucleolar dysfunction, and DNA damage. Injury to anterior horn cells in the spinal cord was manifested by muscle atrophy and pathological changes consistent with nerve fiber denervation and reinnervation. Expression of HERV-K was regulated by TAR (trans-activation responsive) DNA binding protein 43, which binds to the long terminal repeat region of the virus. Thus, HERV-K expression within neurons of patients with ALS may contribute to neurodegeneration and disease pathogenesis.

Indexed as

Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisAnimalsBehavior, AnimalBinding SitesBrainDNA-Binding ProteinsEndogenous RetrovirusesHumansMice, TransgenicMotor Neuron DiseaseMotor NeuronsNerve DegenerationPhenotypeTerminal Repeat SequencesVirus ActivationDNA-Binding Proteins

Identifiers

PMID26424568
PMCPMC6344353
OpenAlexW2236767140

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.