Endogenous Retroviruses

Endogenous Retroviruses

Endogenous retroviruses are those retroviruses that are integrated into and become part of chromosomes in humans and animals. These proviruses are similar to those of HTLV, mouse mammary tumor virus, and other retroviruses that have been detected in humans. These viruses usually lack the ability to replicate because they are poorly transcribed or because of deletion of the insertion of termination codons.