Expression of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) in the blood of adolescents with and without obesity

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are genomic elements derived from ancient retroviral infections and are increasingly recognized for their roles in gene regulation and immune modulation. Obesity is characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation and metabolic dysregulation, which may influence HERV expression. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the transcriptional levels of HERV-H-pol, HERV-K-pol, and HERV-W-pol in peripheral blood from adolescents with obesity as compared to healthy normal weight controls (HC). Total RNA was extracted from whole blood samples, and gene expression was assessed using quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (RT-qPCR), with GAPDH as a reference gene. RESULTS: HERV-H-pol and HERV-K-pol were significantly upregulated in adolescents with obesity as compared to HC, whereas HERV-W-pol was downregulated. No significant associations were observed between HERV expression levels and age, sex, or metabolic parameters. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that obesity in adolescents is associated with a differential regulation of HERV elements, possibly reflecting the impact of chronic inflammatory and metabolic stress. HERV dysregulation may represent a novel molecular feature of obesity and warrants further investigation as a potential biomarker or contributor to obesity-related complications.