One contribution of 13 to a Theme Issue 'Paleovirology: insights from the genomic fossil record'. The development of the emerging field of 'paleovirology' allows biologists to reconstruct the evolutionary history of fossil endogenous retroviral sequences integrated within the genome of living organisms and has led to the retrieval of conserved, ancient retroviral genes 'exapted' by ancestral hosts to fulfil essential physiological roles, syncytin genes being undoubtedly among the most remarkable examples of such a phenomenon. Indeed, syncytins are 'new' genes encoding proteins derived from the envelope protein of endogenous retroviral elements that have been captured and domesticated on multiple occasions and independently in diverse mammalian species, through a process of convergent evolution. Knockout of syncytin genes in mice provided evidence for their absolute requirement for placenta development and embryo survival, via formation by cell-cell fusion of syncytial cell layers at the fetal-maternal interface. These genes of exogenous origin, acquired 'by chance' and yet still 'necessary' to carry out a basic function in placental mammals, may have been pivotal in the emergence of mammalian ancestors with a placenta from egg-laying animals via the capture of a founding retroviral env gene, subsequently replaced in the diverse mammalian lineages by new env-derived syncytin genes, each providing its host with a positive selective advantage.

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Syncytin-2 is an envelope gene from the human endogenous retrovirus FRD (HERV-FRD) co-opted by an ancestral primate host, conserved in evolution over >40 Myr, specifically expressed in the placenta, and with a cell-cell fusogenic activity likely contributing to placenta morphogenesis. Here, using the GeneBridge4 human/Chinese hamster radiation hybrid panel, we mapped and identified the human receptor for syncytin-2. This receptor-namely Major Facilitator Superfamily Domain Containing 2 (MFSD2)-belongs to a large family of presumptive carbohydrate transporters with 10 -12 membrane-spanning domains, is located at chromosomal position 1p34.2, and is conserved in evolution. An expression vector for MFSD2 confers fusogenicity to otherwise insusceptible cells upon transfection of syncytin-2. It also confers infectivity to syncytin-2 pseudotypes, consistent with this protein being the receptor for the ancestrally acquired HERV-FRD family of endogenous retroviruses. At variance with the human gene, neither mouse nor rat MFSD2 can mediate membrane fusion, which is consistent with the fact that the envelope-derived syncytin genes co-opted by rodents during evolution are not orthologous to the human syncytin genes. Remarkably, a real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis of MFSD2 in various human tissues demonstrates specific expression in the placenta, as well as in the human BeWo choriocarcinoma cell line, which discloses enhancement of receptor expression upon induction by forskolin of cell-cell fusion and syncytium formation. In situ hybridization of human placental tissue using an MFSD2-specific probe further unambiguously demonstrates receptor expression at the level of the syncytiotrophoblast, again consistent with a role in placenta morphogenesis.envelope protein ͉ human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) ͉ major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2 (MFSD2) ͉ syncytiotrophoblast T he placenta is an autonomous and transient organ essentially aimed at mediating nutrient and gas exchange between mother and fetus during intrauterine life. In several mammalian species with a hemochorial placenta-including human-a key process of placental morphogenesis is the fusion of trophoblastic cells into a multinucleated layer called syncytiotrophoblast, which constitutes the main materno-fetal barrier in direct contact with maternal blood and fulfils essential trophic exchange functions (1-3).Little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in trophoblastic differentiation. However, a major advance has been made by the identification of envelope (Env) proteins encoded by endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) and likely involved in the formation of the syncytiotrophoblast (4-8). The mammalian genomes indeed harbor thousands of ERV elements that display a structure close to that of the integrated proviral form of exogenous retroviruses (gag, pol, and env-related regions flanked by 2 long terminal repeats) and most probably are the remnants of past infections of the germ line by ancestral retroviruses (9, 10). Although the vast majority...

Syncytins are envelope genes of retroviral origin that have been coopted for a role in placentation and likely contribute to the remarkable diversity of placental structures. Independent capture events have been identified in primates, rodents, lagomorphs, and carnivores, where they are involved in the formation of a syncytium layer at the fetomaternal interface via trophoblast cell-cell fusion. We searched for similar genes within the suborder Ruminantia where the placenta lacks an extended syncytium layer but displays a heterologous cell-fusion process unique among eutherian mammals. An in silico search for intact envelope genes within the Bos taurus genome identified 18 candidates belonging to five endogenous retrovirus families, with one gene displaying both placenta-specific expression, as assessed by quantitative RT-PCR analyses of a large panel of tissues, and conservation in the Ovis aries genome. Both the bovine and ovine orthologs displayed fusogenic activity by conferring infectivity on retroviral pseudotypes and triggering cell-cell fusion. In situ hybridization of placenta sections revealed specific expression in the trophoblast binucleate cells, consistent with a role in the formation-by heterologous cell fusion with uterine cells-of the trinucleate cells of the cow and the syncytial plaques of the ewe. Finally, we show that this gene, which we named "Syncytin-Rum1," is conserved among 16 representatives of higher ruminants, with evidence for purifying selection and conservation of its fusogenic properties, over 30 millions years of evolution. These data argue for syncytins being a major driving force in the emergence and diversity of the placenta.synepitheliochorial | placental evolution | phylogeny | placentome | ERV

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Clonal analysis has shown that the SW613-S human colon-carcinoma cell line is heterogeneous: some cell clones display a high level of amplification of the c-myc gene and are tumorigenic in nude mice, whereas others have a small number of copies of this gene and are non-tumorigenic. Tumorigenic clones can proliferate in a chemically defined serum-free medium, whereas non-tumorigenic clones cannot. Suramin, like anti-insulin-like growth factor (IGF) or anti-IGF-I receptor antibodies, efficiently inhibits the growth of tumorigenic clones in defined medium. Inhibition by suramin or by anti-IGF antibodies can be reversed by pure IGF-I or IGF-2. Pure IGF-1 or IGF-2 or culture medium conditioned by tumorigenic clones can stimulate DNA synthesis in cells of non-tumorigenic clones. Co-culture with cells of tumorigenic clones sustains the growth of non-tumorigenic clones in defined medium. Cells of both tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic clones express high-affinity IGF-1 receptors at their surface but tumorigenic clones produce on average 5 times more IGF-1 and 25 times more IGF-2 than non-tumorigenic ones. These results indicate that autocrine growth stimulation of tumorigenic clones by IGFs through the IGF-1 receptor is essential for their ability to grow in defined medium. Since cells of tumorigenic clones produce IGF-2 at levels 80 times higher than IGF-1 and since an antibody strictly specific for IGF-1 has no effect on DNA synthesis in cells of tumorigenic clones grown in defined medium, IGF-2 is very likely the main effector in the autocrine loop.