Abstract
HERV-K viral RNA has been reported in plasma specimens of HIV-1 infected individuals. Emerging data support the regulation and functional interaction between HERV-K and HIV-1, which warrant development of accurate HERV-K assays to evaluate HERV-K activation. In this study, we examined HERV-K RNA expression after careful removal of "contaminating" cellular DNA using DNase I. We found that DNase I digestion effectively reduced HERV-K RT-PCR positive signal. We also found that levels of HERV-K expression did not correlate with HIV-1 viral load. Our study is in agreement with the published studies on HERV-K activation in HIV-1 positive plasma specimens, and in addition, calls for careful removal of cellular DNA to accurately evaluate HERV-K RNA expression.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 122-125 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Annals of clinical and laboratory science |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| State | Published - 2013 |
Keywords
- DNase I digestion
- HERV-K expression
- HIV-1 viral load
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology
- Immunology and Allergy
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
- Hematology
- Clinical Biochemistry
- Medical Laboratory Technology