Zhang et al. (Proc Natl Acad Sci 118:e2105968118, 2021) recently reported that SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be retrotranscribed and integrated into the DNA of human cells by the L1 retrotransposon machinery. This phenomenon could cause persistence of viral sequences in patients and may explain the prolonged PCR-positivity of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, even long after the phase of active virus replication has ended. This commentary does critically review the available data on this topic and discusses them in the context of findings made for other exogenous viruses and ancestral endogenous retroviral elements.
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【저자키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, COVID19, L1, HERV, LINE, Retrotransposition, HERV-W, Chimeric RNA, 【초록키워드】 DNA, persistence, Patient, virus replication, SARS-CoV-2 RNA, elements, Topic, available data, SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, human cell, virus, viral sequence, reported, retroviral, explain, 【제목키워드】 SARS-CoV-2 RNA, Hypothesis, integration, human cell, unlikely,
【저자키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, COVID19, L1, HERV, LINE, Retrotransposition, HERV-W, Chimeric RNA, 【초록키워드】 DNA, persistence, Patient, virus replication, SARS-CoV-2 RNA, elements, Topic, available data, SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, human cell, virus, viral sequence, reported, retroviral, explain, 【제목키워드】 SARS-CoV-2 RNA, Hypothesis, integration, human cell, unlikely,