Research suggests that ancient viral DNA embedded in the human genome is playing a key role in early embryo development. Around 8% of our genome consists of endogenous retrovirus DNA - the remnants of ancient infections, but knowledge of their activity is limited. Now, a team shows that these sequences are required for the correct development of lab-derived embryo analogues, and for the switching on of human-specific genes.
Investigators led by Navdeep Chandel, PhD, have demonstrated that mitochondrial metabolism is crucial for T-cell proliferation and the prevention of T-cell exhaustion in cancer and chronic infection.