4 ms·

Link to PNAS research paper: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/09/19/1811940115 http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/09/19/1811940115 Human Endogenous R

Link to PNAS research paper: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/09/19/1811940115 http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/09/19/1811940115 Human Endogenous Retrovirus-K HML-2 integration within RASGRF2 is associated with intravenous drug abuse and modulates transcription in a cell-line model Not all humans have the same HK2 viruses in their genomes. Here we show that one specific uncommon HK2, which lies close to a gene involved in dopaminergic activity in the brain, is more frequently found in drug addicts and thus is significantly associated with addiction. We experimentally show that HK2 can manipulate nearby genes. Our study provides strong evidence that uncommon HK2 can be responsible for unappreciated pathogenic burden, and thus underlines the health importance of exploring the phenotypic roles of young, insertionally polymorphic HK2 integrations in human populations. ... Based on our cell-line experiments, we suggest that RASGRF2-int leads to enhancement of dopaminergic activity through higher expression of the first exons of RASGRF2, which then results in increased potential for addiction.

wil421 8y ago
Does this mean you could be tested for the specific gene?
- subcosmos 8y ago
  About 20% of the human genome is endogenous retroviruses. We've all got them, and there is significant evidence that they become more active in old age, and may be a factor in dementia and other illnesses.
  - nsajko 8y ago
    They are also essential to forming the placenta: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HERV-W https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HERV-W https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HERV-FRD https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HERV-FRD
  - ZainRiz 8y ago
    Fact check: It's more like 5-8% according to Wikipedia. Still a significant number. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_retrovirus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_retrovirus
  - lugg 8y ago
    What do you mean may be a factor in dementia? What other illnesses? Does this link in with insulin resistance and type three diabetes at all?
- girnigoe 8y ago
  Sounds that way to me: they're looking at a specific uncommon HK2
  - Gibbon1 8y ago
    If they coun't how would they be able to make their claims? I could see difficulties if there were multiple copies in different places or some such that would make a naive test non-diagnostic.
- twic 8y ago
  Yes. Make a primer that matches the inside of the retrovirus, and another that matches the genome outside it in this particular location. Use them to do PCR on a sample of DNA. If you get a band, you have the retrovirus in that location.
WhompingWindows 8y ago
Very sensible that the mutation relates to the dopaminergic activity, just based on our knowledge of the reward pathway and the effect of addictive drugs on dopamine. There may even been a positive feedback loop here, as any viral gene inserted that increases risky, impulsive behavior may also encourage procreation.
- bencollier49 8y ago
  There is a distinct difference between compulsive behaviour and risk-taking.
- debt 8y ago
  That's one hell of a virus.
- the_jeremy 8y ago
  While that might be true today, I don't agree that increasing risk-taking behaviors was evolutionarily advantageous past some equilibrium (otherwise, we'd have a new equilibrium).
  - 1_over_n 8y ago
    Depends whether you consider this to be evolutionary advantageous to us or the virus/bacteria...similar example from toxoplasmosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis Geoffrey West touches upon some of this stuff in scale - its worth a read https://www.amazon.com/Scale-Universal-Innovation-Sustainability-Organisms/dp/1594205582 https://www.amazon.com/Scale-Universal-Innovation-Sustainabi... Oversimplification is that some of the viruses / genetic defects that kill us later let us live long enough to reproduce first and pass those traits/infections along.
    - 876ret 8y ago
      The ancient Egyptians liked cats, and considering the effect T. Gondi has on males[1] (higher Testosotorone & dominance) and females[2] (submissiveness), this could have been a reason why they worshipped cats. It could also be considered an early example of a biological weapon used on sections of population. With regard to addictive behaviour, some research has suggested addictions are neuro amine addictions, ie andrenaline, dopamine & serotonin. Cocaine for example last in the body for upto 2hrs and amplifies dopamine and serotonin, so being addicted to feeling good is understandable, however serotonin also plays a part in the innate immune system and the association between depression and illness has also long been known. The medical profession SSRI's inhibit the uptake of serotonin in the brain, which reduces the brains ability to convert it into melatonin (4x more potent than Vit C), plus not much can cross the blood brain barrier so the adapative immune can not work in the brain, eyes, gonads, ovaries. So whilst SSRI's can make you feel good, like everything in life it can also have its side effects because we are a bundle of realtime complex pathways oscillating in time and space. One other point of risk taking behaviour, some of you may have noticed when you feel like you are going down with something like a cold or flu, you may also feel the need to procreate before the illness takes hold. This would suggest an evolutionary response to pass on genes, but excessive amounts of chemicals which can harm the body can also cause this behaviour as well, illegal drugs & alcohol being examples. ie did you know that smokers have elevated levels of copper in their blood stream? This is probably due to the need to deal with the risk of foreign bodies coming into the blood stream through the lungs, but copper and iron is also required to prevent anemia, which in turn is required to make red blood cells, plus its also known that elite atheletes, people living at high altitude and smokers have enlarged red blood cells. Plus smoking can also be a form of self medication if an asthma inhaler is not available, asthma being a type of allergic reaction to debris or pathogens inhaled, most commonly being from pets or pollution. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17435678 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17435678 [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17435678 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17435678

wil421 8y ago

Does this mean you could be tested for the specific gene?

subcosmos 8y ago
About 20% of the human genome is endogenous retroviruses. We've all got them, and there is significant evidence that they become more active in old age, and may be a factor in dementia and other illnesses.
- nsajko 8y ago
  They are also essential to forming the placenta: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HERV-W https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HERV-W https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HERV-FRD https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HERV-FRD
- ZainRiz 8y ago
  Fact check: It's more like 5-8% according to Wikipedia. Still a significant number. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_retrovirus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_retrovirus
- lugg 8y ago
  What do you mean may be a factor in dementia? What other illnesses? Does this link in with insulin resistance and type three diabetes at all?
girnigoe 8y ago
Sounds that way to me: they're looking at a specific uncommon HK2
- Gibbon1 8y ago
  If they coun't how would they be able to make their claims? I could see difficulties if there were multiple copies in different places or some such that would make a naive test non-diagnostic.
twic 8y ago
Yes. Make a primer that matches the inside of the retrovirus, and another that matches the genome outside it in this particular location. Use them to do PCR on a sample of DNA. If you get a band, you have the retrovirus in that location.

WhompingWindows 8y ago

Very sensible that the mutation relates to the dopaminergic activity, just based on our knowledge of the reward pathway and the effect of addictive drugs on dopamine. There may even been a positive feedback loop here, as any viral gene inserted that increases risky, impulsive behavior may also encourage procreation.

bencollier49 8y ago
There is a distinct difference between compulsive behaviour and risk-taking.
debt 8y ago
That's one hell of a virus.
the_jeremy 8y ago
While that might be true today, I don't agree that increasing risk-taking behaviors was evolutionarily advantageous past some equilibrium (otherwise, we'd have a new equilibrium).
- 1_over_n 8y ago
  Depends whether you consider this to be evolutionary advantageous to us or the virus/bacteria...similar example from toxoplasmosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis Geoffrey West touches upon some of this stuff in scale - its worth a read https://www.amazon.com/Scale-Universal-Innovation-Sustainability-Organisms/dp/1594205582 https://www.amazon.com/Scale-Universal-Innovation-Sustainabi... Oversimplification is that some of the viruses / genetic defects that kill us later let us live long enough to reproduce first and pass those traits/infections along.
  - 876ret 8y ago
    The ancient Egyptians liked cats, and considering the effect T. Gondi has on males[1] (higher Testosotorone & dominance) and females[2] (submissiveness), this could have been a reason why they worshipped cats. It could also be considered an early example of a biological weapon used on sections of population. With regard to addictive behaviour, some research has suggested addictions are neuro amine addictions, ie andrenaline, dopamine & serotonin. Cocaine for example last in the body for upto 2hrs and amplifies dopamine and serotonin, so being addicted to feeling good is understandable, however serotonin also plays a part in the innate immune system and the association between depression and illness has also long been known. The medical profession SSRI's inhibit the uptake of serotonin in the brain, which reduces the brains ability to convert it into melatonin (4x more potent than Vit C), plus not much can cross the blood brain barrier so the adapative immune can not work in the brain, eyes, gonads, ovaries. So whilst SSRI's can make you feel good, like everything in life it can also have its side effects because we are a bundle of realtime complex pathways oscillating in time and space. One other point of risk taking behaviour, some of you may have noticed when you feel like you are going down with something like a cold or flu, you may also feel the need to procreate before the illness takes hold. This would suggest an evolutionary response to pass on genes, but excessive amounts of chemicals which can harm the body can also cause this behaviour as well, illegal drugs & alcohol being examples. ie did you know that smokers have elevated levels of copper in their blood stream? This is probably due to the need to deal with the risk of foreign bodies coming into the blood stream through the lungs, but copper and iron is also required to prevent anemia, which in turn is required to make red blood cells, plus its also known that elite atheletes, people living at high altitude and smokers have enlarged red blood cells. Plus smoking can also be a form of self medication if an asthma inhaler is not available, asthma being a type of allergic reaction to debris or pathogens inhaled, most commonly being from pets or pollution. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17435678 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17435678 [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17435678 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17435678