ENDOGENOUS RETROVIRAL LONG TERMINAL REPEATS WITHIN THE HLA-DQ LOCUS

Two endogenous retroviral long terminal repeats (LTRs) were found in the human major histocompatibility complex locus HLA-DQ. The solo LTRs, unlinked to retrovirus structural genes, are located ~ 5 kilobases apart from each other and in the same transcriptional orientation, which is opposite to that for the HLA-DQB1 gene. These elements exhibit > 90% homology to the LTRs of the human endogenous retrovirus HERV-K10. The conservation of putative regulatory elements found within the LTRs and their position relative to the HLA-DQB1 gene suggest that these elements may confer distinct regulatory properties on genes in the HLA-DQ region. Polymorphic variation between different HLA haplotypes for the presence of the LTRs at this location and of the molecular architecture within this subregion is supported by polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot analysis. Comparisons of chromosomes with and without the LTRs in this region will provide a unique opportunity in the human genome to analyze transposition or integration of retroviral sequences.