Human endogenous retrovirus W in multiple sclerosis: transcriptional activity is associated with decline in oligodendrocyte proportions in the white matter of the brain

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease. One of the basic mechanisms in this disease is the autoimmune response against the myelin sheet leading to axonal damage. There is strong evidence showing that this response is regulated by both genetic and environmental factors. In addition, the role of viruses has been extensively studied, especially in the case of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). However, although several associations with MS susceptibility, especially in the case of HERV-W family have been observed, the pathogenic mechanisms have remained enigmatic. To clarify these HERV-mediated mechanisms as well as the responsible HERV-W loci, we utilized RNA sequencing data obtained from the white matter of the brain of individuals with and without MS. CIBERSORTx tool was applied to estimate the proportions of neuronal, glial, and endothelial cells in the brain. In addition, the transcriptional activity of 215 HERV-W loci were analyzed. The results indicated that 65 HERV-W loci had detectable expression, of which 14 were differentially expressed between MS and control samples. Of these, 12 HERV-W loci were upregulated in MS. Expression levels of the 8 upregulated HERV-W loci had significant negative correlation with estimated oligodendrocyte proportions, suggesting that they are associated with the dynamics of oligodendrocyte generation and/or maintenance. Furthermore, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) results indicated that expression levels of three upregulated HERV-W loci: 2p16.2, 2q13, and Xq13.3, are associated with suppression of oligodendrocyte development and myelination. Taken together, these data suggest new HERV-W loci candidates that might take part in MS pathogenesis.