REVIEW article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Cancer Cell Biology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1618542
The role of HERV envelope protein in ovarian cancer
Provisionally accepted
Jianhao Zhang
Dongyu Sun
Yuqing Zhan
Qing Gao
Chenxuan Bao
Huayuan Xiang
Yuxuan Shen
Qianqian Gao
Mengyu Zhang
Jianjun Wang
Lingxiang Mao*- Affiliated Kunshan Hospital of Jiangsu University, Kunshan, China
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Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are a remnant of repeated exogenous retroviral infections in human ancestors, which have been integrated into germline cells and proliferated through retrotransposition, recombination, and reinfection. Comprising approximately 8% of the human genome, HERV genes are capable of upregulating the expression of their encoded gene products in response to both endogenous and exogenous stimuli. Among HERV gene products, the envelope (env) proteins are currently extensively investigated for their pathogenic properties in cancer. Given that HERV was initially discovered in the germline cells and the ovary is an essential female reproductive organ, this review will focus on the current knowledge of the role of HERV env protein in ovarian cancer (OC). Our review systematically delineates the expression of HERV env protein across different histological subtypes of OC and highlights its pivotal roles in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Elucidating the role of HERV env protein in OC offers novel perspectives for developing diagnostic approaches and therapeutic monitoring strategies in OC management.
Keywords: Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs), Ovarian cancer (OC), Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), Envelope (Env), herv-k
Received: 26 Apr 2025; Accepted: 22 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Sun, Zhan, Gao, Bao, Xiang, Shen, Gao, Zhang, Wang and Mao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lingxiang Mao, Affiliated Kunshan Hospital of Jiangsu University, Kunshan, China
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