Rutgers researcher study revealed the crystal structure of a human endogenous reverse transcriptase is comparable to HIV reverse transcriptase, a well-known tractable pharmacological target that will aid in the development of medications to treat cancer and other disorders.

Figure 1: New high resolution reverse transcriptase to treat cancer.

Figure 1 shows that the study describes the first-ever high-resolution three-dimensional structure of an endogenous reverse transcriptase – specifically human endogenous retrovirus-K (HERV-K) reverse transcriptase (RT).

According to the study, the structure provides therapeutic opportunities for RT inhibitors-antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV infection or AIDS, and also hepatitis B-in cancer, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. [1]

“This study marks a significant step forward in our understanding of endogenous retroviruses and how they could be targeted to treat disease,” said Eddy Arnold, a resident faculty member at the Rutgers Center for Advanced Biotechnology.

“Characterizing the structure of HIV RT was a critical turning point in designing novel medicines to combat that deadly virus,” said Arnold, a Distinguished Professor and Board of Governors Professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rutgers. “Similarly, deeper insights into human endogenous RT could pave the way toward a new class of therapies for cancer and other serious diseases.”

Repetitive elements in the genome such as HERV-K are frequently overexpressed in cancer and elicit biological viral mimicry responses that can alter the tumour microenvironment, according to past research. [2]

ROME Therapeutics, co-author to the study, a biotechnology company that aims to develop novel therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases by researching the Dark Genome -- vast stretches of uncharted genetic material that represent more than 60 percent of the human genome -- for drug development.

The study found, for the first time the crystal structure of an endogenous reverse transcriptase, one known as HERV-K RT, and show that it has remarkable similarities to HIV reverse transcriptase, a well-known tractable drug target," said Dennis Zaller.

This achievement is a milestone in the Dark Genome field and sheds light on opportunities for structure-based drug design based on established anti-viral targets present in our human genome. This work is the result of a great collaboration between ROME's exceptional structural biology team and world-leading crystallographers. [3]

References:

1. https://aljazeera.co.in/politics/scientists-explain-structure-of-human-endogenous-reverse-transcriptase/
2. https://www.zee5.com/articles/scientists-explain-structure-of-human-endogenous-reverse-transcriptase
3. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220630164700.htm

Cite this article:

Sri Vasagi K (2022), New Three-Dimensional Structure of an Endogenous Reverse Transcriptase, AnaTechMax, pp.199