Dynamics of ERVs

Retroviruses have been infecting animals for at least 100 million years leaving remnants in their hosts’ genomes known as Endogenous Retroviruses (ERVs). This has resulted into ERVs comprising a significant amount of hosts' genomes. We are interested to understand which factors have affected their abundance within genomes as well as their ability to move between hosts.

Some publication that we have been engaged with ERVs' dynamics

- Magiorkinis G, Gifford R, Katzourakis A, De Ranter J, Belshaw R. Env-less endogenous retroviruses are genomic superspreaders. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 109:7385-90

Links

http://www.paleovirology.org