Expression of an endogenous retroviral sequence from the HERV-H group in gastrointestinal cancers.

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) account for approximately 8% of the human genome. Since the majority of HERV elements have accumulated inactivating mutations in the viral genes, only few expressed viral open reading frames (ORFs) have been described. In this study, we have analyzed the expression of a HERV-H copy located on Xp22.

Identification of differentially expressed genes in colorectal adenoma compared to normal tissue by suppression subtractive hybridization.

Altered gene expression that results in unrestricted growth and loss of differentiation is a hallmark of neoplastic cells. The goal of the present study was to determine early changes in gene expression profiles during colorectal carcinogenesis with emphasis on those genes whose expression is upregulated in adenoma tissue compared to adjacent normal colon. Using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) approach on enriched colonic crypts we identified 14 candidate genes showing increased expression levels in the original adenoma sample.