Retroviral Remnants and COVID-19: A Complex Interplay

Human endogenous retroviruses, or HERVs, are ancient viral fragments tucked away in our DNA. They've been there since our primate ancestors faced exogenous retroviral infections long ago, and we've been passing them down ever since. HERVs aren't just sitting idle; they can impact our immune system, potentially causing inflammation, neurological issues, or even tumors.When SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, infects our cells, it brings along its spike protein. This protein might be triggering some of these old HERVs to become active. This activation can lead to the release of certain cytokines like TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, which maintain chronic inflammation. It's important to note that people can react differently to COVID-19 or vaccines. Some of this variation might be due to individual differences in how HERVs respond. Further research is needed to fully understand how the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is involved in waking up these ancient viral remnants.