Perron Hervé

• HDR PhD
• Research Director at GeNeuro

BACKGROUND Glioma is the most common and aggressive primary tumor of the central nervous system (CNS). With regard to its still unclear etiology, several recent studies focused on human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) as potential new pathogenic factors in various neurological diseases. Although HERVs account for up to 8 % of the human genome, thes...

The human genome comprises 8% of endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). Though HERVS contribute to physiological functions, copies retained pathogenic potential. The HERV-W ENV protein was shown expressed in patients with worse COVID-19 symptoms and post-COVID syndrome. A significant detection of the mRNA encoding HERV-W ENV from patients with COVID-19 i...

The human endogenous retrovirus type W (HERV-W) has been identified and repeatedly confirmed as human-specific pathogenic entity affecting many cell types in multiple sclerosis (MS). Our recent contributions revealed the encoded envelope (ENV) protein to disturb myelin repair by interfering with oligodendroglial precursor differentiation and by pol...

Epidemiology has repeatedly associated certain infections with a risk of further developing psychiatric diseases. Such infections can activate retro-transposable genetic elements (HERV) known to trigger immune receptors and impair synaptic plasticity of neuroreceptors. Since the HERV-W ENV protein was recently shown to co-cluster with pro-inflammat...

Patients with COVID-19 may develop abnormal inflammatory response, followed in some cases by severe disease and long-lasting syndromes. We show here that in vitro exposure to SARS-CoV-2 activates the expression of the human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) HERV-W proinflammatory envelope protein (ENV) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a subset...

Acute COVID-19 can cause a post-infectious syndrome in a significant percentage of patients, with multifacted and long lasting symptoms. We hypothesized that this Post-Acute COVID syndrome (PASC) could result from various underlying causes, which may compromise the demonstration of efficacy for treatments evaluated on cohorts of heterogeneous patie...

Due to the wide scope and persistence of COVID-19´s pandemic, post-COVID-19 condition represents a post-viral syndrome of unprecedented dimensions. SARS-CoV-2, in line with other infectious agents, has the capacity to activate dormant human endogenous retroviral sequences ancestrally integrated in human genomes (HERVs). This activation was shown to...

Objective: Human Endogenous Retroviruses have been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Expression of human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) subtype HML-2 envelope (Env) in human neuronal cultures and in transgenic mice results in neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration and mice expressing HML-2 Env d...

Patients with COVID-19 may develop abnormal inflammatory response and lymphopenia, followed in some cases by delayed-onset syndromes, often long-lasting after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. As viral infections may activate human endogenous retroviral elements (HERV), we studied the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on HERV-W and HERV-K envelope (ENV) express...

Schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) involve complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors, but underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This review explains how human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) may provide a missing link between environmental factors, genomics, and pathogenic pathways leading to clinical expressio...

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are remnants of infections that took place several million years ago and represent around 8% of the human genome. Despite evidence implicating increased expression of HERV type W envelope (HERV-W ENV) in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, it remains unknown whether such expression is associated with distinct c...

Impact of the endogenous retrovirus HERV-W activation on COVID-19 disease progression “HERV-W ENV" is the protein found highly expressed in the blood of COVID-19 patients in association with severe disease progression. The study was published in the journal EBioMedicine of The Lancet group: "Evidence of the pathogenic HERV-W envelope expression...

Supplementary material from the main publication: Evidence of the pathogenic HERV-W envelope expression in T lymphocytes in association with the respiratory outcome of COVID-19 patients Emanuela Balestrieri, Antonella Minutolo, Vita Petrone, Marialaura Fanelli, Marco Iannetta, Vincenzo Malagnino, Marta Zordan, Pietro Vitale, Benjamin Charvet, Brank...

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are ancient retroviral DNA sequences established into germline. They contain regulatory elements and encoded proteins few of which may provide benefits to hosts when co-opted as cellular genes. Their tight regulation is mainly achieved by epigenetic mechanisms which can be altered by environmental factors, e.g....

Fig. S1 Amino-acid and nucleotide sequences of the hydrophobic peptide (HP) and of the HERV-K ENV-HP chimeric protein. HP amino acids within the fusion protein (HERV-K ENV SU+HP) are indicated with bold letters.

In multiple sclerosis (MS), human endogenous retrovirus W family (HERV-W) envelope protein, pHERV-W ENV, limits remyelination and induces microglia-mediated neurodegeneration. To better understand its role, we examined the soluble pHERV-W antigen from MS brain lesions detected by specific antibodies. Physico-chemical and antigenic characteristics c...

In multiple sclerosis (MS), HERV-W envelope protein, pHERV-W ENV, limits remyelination and induces microglia-mediated neurodegeneration. To better understand its role, we examined the soluble pHERV-W antigen from MS brain lesions detected by specific antibodies. Physico-chemical and antigenic characteristics confirmed differences between pHERV-W EN...

Patients with COVID-19 may develop abnormal inflammatory response and lymphopenia, followed in some cases by delayed-onset syndromes, often long-lasting after resolution of the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. As viral infections may activate human endogenous retroviral elements (HERV), we studied the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on HERV-W and HERV-K envelope...

Human Endogenous Retrovirus W Envelope (HERV-W ENV) mRNA or protein can be found in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and exocrine pancreas of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Further, previous observations have shown an association between enteroviral infection and development of T1D; specifically, coxsackievirus-B (CV-B) has been det...

Mobile genetic elements, such as human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), produce proteins that regulate brain cell functions and synaptic transmission and have been implicated in the etiology of neurological and neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders. However, the mechanisms by which these proteins of retroviral origin alter brain cell communicati...

The Third International Workshop on Human Endogenous Retroviruses and disease (www.hervanddisease.com), addressing HERVs or transposable elements in autoimmune, chronic inflammatory and degenerative diseases or cancer, in Lyon, France on November 5-6th 2019, once again gathered an international group of basic and clinical scientists investigating t...

Purpose of the Review The aim of this review is to discuss recent data pointing at an involvement of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) in type 1 diabetes (T1D) onset and progression. Recent Findings The envelope protein of HERV-W family, named HERV-W-Env, was detected in pancreata from T1D patients and was shown to display pro-inflammatory pro...

Significance There is a broad repertoire of immunomodulatory drugs that effectively treat the inflammatory aspects of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). However, axonal degeneration, which occurs mainly in progressive MS, is still not understood and cannot be treated pharmaceutically. As it is the major factor contributing to clinical disability in...

Background: Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) occupy a substantial fraction of the genome and impact cellular function with both beneficial and deleterious consequences. The vast majority of HERV sequences descend from ancient retroviral families no longer capable of infection or genomic propagation. In fact, most are no longer represented by...

The aberrant expression of human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) elements of the HERV-W family has been associated with different diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). In particular, the expression of the envelope protein (Env) from the multiple sclerosis-associated retrovirus (MSRV), a member of HERV-W family and known for its potent proinflam...

Remyelination in the adult CNS depends on activation, differentiation, and functional integration of resident oligodendroglial precursor cells (OPCs) and constitutes the only spontaneous neuroregenerative process able to compensate for functional deficits upon loss of oligodendrocytes and myelin sheaths as it is observed in multiple sclerosis. The...

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) occupy a substantial fraction of the genome and impact cellular function with both beneficial and deleterious consequences. The vast majority of HERV sequences descend from ancient retroviral families no longer capable of infection or genomic propagation. In fact, most are no longer represented by full-length p...

We describe a newly identified therapeutic target for type 1 diabetes: an envelope protein of endogenous retroviral origin called Human Endogenous Retrovirus W Envelope (HERV‐W‐Env). HERV‐W‐Env was found to be detected in the blood of around 60% of type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients and is expressed in acinar pancreatic cells of 75% of T1D patients at...

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), known to represent 8% of the human genome, have been associated with several autoimmune diseases. In particular, the envelope protein of HERV-W family (HERV-W-Env), which has been involved in the pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), displays pro-inflammatory and autoimmune properties. This has initially be...

The causes of multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have long remained elusive. A new category of pathogenic components, normally dormant within human genomes, has been identified: human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). These represent ∼8% of the human genome, and environmental factors have reproducibly been shown to trigger their ex...

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), remnants of ancestral viral genomic insertions, are known to represent 8% of the human genome and are associated with several pathologies. In particular, the envelope protein of HERV-W family (HERV-W-Env) has been involved in multiple sclerosis pathogenesis. Investigations to detect HERV-W-Env in a few other a...

The Second International Workshop on Human Endogenous Retroviruses and Disease, Washington DC, March 13–14 2017 brought together international basic and clinical scientists investigating the involvement of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) in complex human diseases.

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) represent a large part of our genome and the few elements that have retained a potential of expression still remain "dormant" in physiological conditions. In some instances, they can be awakened by environmental factors activating their expression. The best studied conditions of HERV activation are infections ca...

Current data estimate that mobile genetic elements represent more than one-half of the human genome. The literature is constantly updating data following the evolution of sequencing techniques and of algorithms for genome analyses. This review aims to provide an overview of the topic showing the complexity given by the various designations and clas...

Background objective: Attempts to identify a causative agent of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) among environmental viruses have consistently failed suggesting that development of MS is a result from gene-environment interactions. A new pathogenic player within human genes, a human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) was identified from MS cells, named MS-associ...

Supplementary material

Background: Human endogenous retroviruses HERV-W encode a pro-inflammatory protein, named MSRV-Env from its original identification in Multiple Sclerosis. Though not detected in various neurological controls, MSRV-Env was found in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathies (CIDPs). This study investigated the express...

Multiple sclerosis associated retrovirus envelope protein (MSRV-Env) was repeatedly detected in brain lesions and blood of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. We performed the first pharmacological characterisation of MSRV-Env on recombinant and native human TLR4. MSRV-Env is a full and highly potent TLR4 agonist of endogenous origin. MSRV-Env induce...

The First International Scientific Conference on Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) and Disease, Lyon-France, May 26-27th 2015, brought together scientific and medical specialists from around the world investigating the involvement of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) in complex human diseases.

Les psychoses majeures telles la schizophrénie sont des troubles complexes qui peuvent impliquer des interactions multiparamétriques comprenant des facteurs génétiques et environnementaux comme des infections. Des études successives ont montré une association entre la schizophrénie et les rétrovirus endogènes humains (HERV). Les HERVs sont des comp...

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) represent about 8 % of the human genome. Some of these genetic elements are expressed in pathological circumstances. A HERV protein, the multiple sclerosis-associated retrovirus (MSRV) envelope protein (MSRV-Env), is expressed in the blood and active brain lesions of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. It possesse...

The MSRV (Multiple Sclerosis Associated Retro Virus) belongs to the human endogenous retrovirus HERV-W family. The envelope protein originating from the MSRV has been found in most patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). This protein (Env-ms) has pro-inflammatory properties for several types of immune cells and could therefore play a role in MS path...

Background The envelope protein (ENV) of the human endogenous retrovirus type W is implicated in inflammatory reactions in multiple sclerosis (MS) but also interferes with oligodendroglial maturation. A neutralizing antibody GNbAC1 has been developed and successfully been tested in clinical trials. Objectives and methods We stimulated primary olig...

ABSTRACT Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) play an increasing important role in the therapeutic armamentarium against multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory and degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Most of the mAbs currently developed for MS are immunomodulators blocking the inflammatory immune process. In contrast with mAbs targeting...

Background GNbAC1 is an immunoglobulin (IgG4) humanised monoclonal antibody against multiple sclerosis-associated retrovirus (MSRV)-Env, a protein of endogenous retroviral origin, expressed in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, which is pro-inflammatory and inhibits oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation. Objective This is a randomised, doub...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex multifactorial disease of the central nervous system (CNS) for which animal models have mainly addressed downstream immunopathology but not potential inducers of autoimmunity. In the absence of a pathogen known to cause neuroinflammation in MS, Mycobacterial lysate is commonly used in the form of complete Freund...

Objective Differentiation of oligodendroglial precursor cells is crucial for central nervous system remyelination and is influenced by both extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Recent studies showed that human endogenous retrovirus type W (HERV-W) contributes significantly to brain damage. In particular, its envelope protein ENV can mediate injury to s...

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) arise from ancient infections of the host germline cells by exogenous retroviruses, constituting 8% of the human genome. Elevated level of envelope transcripts from HERVs-W has been detected in CSF, plasma and brain tissues from patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), most of them from Xq22.3, 15q21.3, and 6q21...

Translational Psychiatry explores the more translational area between the research in neuroscience and conceptually novel treatments

Epidemiological and genome-wide association studies of severe psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD), suggest complex interactions between multiple genetic elements and environmental factors. The involvement of genetic elements such as Human Endogenous Retroviruses type ‘W’ family (HERV-W) has consistently been a...

Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease more prevalent in women than in men. Multiple Sclerosis Associated Retrovirus element (MSRV) is a member of type-W endogenous retrovirus family (HERV-W), known to be associated to MS. Most HERVs are unable to replicate but MSRV expression associated with reverse-transcriptase activity in MS would explain...

Standard Curve of RNAse P made of serial dilutions of genomic DNA. (PDF)

Standard Curve of MSRV env made of serial dilutions of genomic DNA. (PDF)

Standard Curve of MSRV env made of serial dilutions of MSRV env plasmid. (PDF)

Epidemiological and genome-wide association studies of severe psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD), suggest complex interactions between multiple genetic elements and environmental factors. The involvement of genetic elements such as Human Endogenous Retroviruses type 'W' family (HERV-W) has consistently been a...

Background: Human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) genes represent about 8% of the human genome. A member of the HERV family W, the Multiple Sclerosis-Associated Retrovirus (MSRV) gene, encodes an envelope protein (Env), which can activate a proinflammatory and autoimmune cascade through its interaction with Toll-like receptor 4. Due to its proinflamm...

Background The envelope protein from multiple sclerosis (MS) associated retroviral element (MSRV), a member of the Human Endogenous Retroviral family ‘W’ (HERV-W), induces dysimmunity and inflammation. Objective The objective of this study was to confirm and specify the association between HERV-W/MSRV envelope (Env) expression and MS. Methods 103...

Abstract Objectives. Provide a synthetic review of recent studies evidencing an association between human endogenous retrovirus-W (HERV-W) and schizophrenia. Methods. Bibliography analysis and contextual synthesis. Results. Epidemiological studies suggest that the aetiology of schizophrenia is complex and involves a complex interplay of genetic and...

Endogenous retroviruses in the human DNA probably result from an exogenous infection of germ line cells. ERV-W family has been determined to have entered the mammalian genome after the speciation of old world monkeys, with initial insertion in Catarrhines about 25 million years ago (Voisset et al., 1999). ERV-W copies are present in old world monke...