schultz
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- Joined
- Jul 29, 2014
- Messages
- 2,653
I found this most intriguing paper (it's a pre-print) claiming it's possible that SARS-CoV-2 could be reverse transcribed and incorporated in the human genome. The author suggests this may be one reason why a person who was previously sick months ago still tests positive on a PCR test (because they still have retro elements floating around). They also think LINE-1 expression can be induced by cytokines, which I thought was very interesting!
In the article it also says, "Endogenous reverse transcriptase (RT) activity has been observed in human cells, and the products of reverse transcription have been shown to become integrated into the genome." If you've been following Ray's work you realize that this has been a theme Ray has addressed multiple times in the past, including multiple mentions of Barbara McClintock.
The obvious question it leads to is: "Can we incorporate the RNA from the vaccines into our DNA?" There seems to be evidence that that can actually happen.
The paper explains it better than I can though....
Full Text - SARS-CoV-2 RNA reverse-transcribed and integrated into the human genome
"Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 RNA shedding and recurrence of PCR-positive tests have been widely reported in patients after recovery, yet these patients most commonly are non-infectious. Here we investigated the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 RNAs can be reverse-transcribed and integrated into the human genome and that transcription of the integrated sequences might account for PCR-positive tests. In support of this hypothesis, we found chimeric transcripts consisting of viral fused to cellular sequences in published data sets of SARS-CoV-2 infected cultured cells and primary cells of patients, consistent with the transcription of viral sequences integrated into the genome. To experimentally corroborate the possibility of viral retro-integration, we describe evidence that SARS-CoV-2 RNAs can be reverse transcribed in human cells by reverse transcriptase (RT) from LINE-1 elements or by HIV-1 RT, and that these DNA sequences can be integrated into the cell genome and subsequently be transcribed. Human endogenous LINE-1 expression was induced upon SARS-CoV-2 infection or by cytokine exposure in cultured cells, suggesting a molecular mechanism for SARS-CoV-2 retro-integration in patients. This novel feature of SARS-CoV-2 infection may explain why patients can continue to produce viral RNA after recovery and suggests a new aspect of RNA virus replication."
In the article it also says, "Endogenous reverse transcriptase (RT) activity has been observed in human cells, and the products of reverse transcription have been shown to become integrated into the genome." If you've been following Ray's work you realize that this has been a theme Ray has addressed multiple times in the past, including multiple mentions of Barbara McClintock.
The obvious question it leads to is: "Can we incorporate the RNA from the vaccines into our DNA?" There seems to be evidence that that can actually happen.
The paper explains it better than I can though....
Full Text - SARS-CoV-2 RNA reverse-transcribed and integrated into the human genome
SARS-CoV-2 RNA reverse-transcribed and integrated into the human genome - PubMed
Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 RNA shedding and recurrence of PCR-positive tests have been widely reported in patients after recovery, yet these patients most commonly are non-infectious. Here we investigated the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 RNAs can be reverse-transcribed and integrated into the human...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov