Before synapses are lost: Do endogenous retroviruses drive microglial overpruning in autism spectrum disorders? - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #Autism Spectrum Disorders
- #Endogenous Retroviruses
- #Microglial Pruning
- Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are genomic elements silenced by epigenetics; their reactivation can affect host gene regulation.
- The study by Chen et al. finds ERV-derived RNA-DNA hybrids that activate neuronal C4b, leading to excessive microglial pruning of synapses.
- This process is linked to autism-like behaviors, suggesting ERVs may contribute to synaptic loss in autism spectrum disorders.