BACKGROUND: The present study focuses on explaining the interaction between porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) and human cells in inflammatory conditions. The differences in expression of selected inflammation-related genes in human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) infected with PERVs with and without lipopolysaccharide stimulation were identified.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The PERV infectivity was analyzed using a co-culture of NHDF and PK15 cells. Quantification of PERV A, B DNA and PERV A, B RNA was performed by real-time QPCR and QRT-PCR. The analysis of the expression profile was performed using HG-U133A 2.0 oligonucleotide microarrays.

RESULTS: PERV infection of NHDF cells with LPS stimulation resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the copy number of PERV A DNA, and an increase in the copy number of PERV A RNA compared to fibroblasts without stimulation. There was no statistically significant difference between the copy number of PERV B RNA of LPStreated and untreated NHDF cells. Typing of differentiation genes was performed in a panel of 571 selected transcripts of inflammation-related genes. Among all studied genes, 23 were differentially regulated with a change greater that 1.1-fold and p<0.05 in all studied groups. Of these 23 genes, 3 were found to be regulated by more than 2.0-fold at least in 2 studied groups (IL6, IL8, and IL33).

CONCLUSIONS: The interaction between porcine endogenous retroviruses and human cells changes in inflammatory conditions. PERV infection of NHDF cells may alter the expression of inflammation-related genes. Further investigations concerning PERV infection of human cells in different conditions seem to be necessary.

Keywords: porcine endogenous retrovirus, lipopolysaccharide, Xenotransplantation, oligonucleotide microarray, quantitative PCR