Syncytin, envelope protein of human endogenous retrovirus (HERV): no longer ‘fossil’ in human genome

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are ‘fossil viruses’ that resulted from stable integrations of exogenous retroviruses throughout evolution. HERVs are defective and do not produce infectious viral particles. However, some HERVs retain a limited coding capacity and produce retroviral transcripts and proteins, which function in human developmental process and various pathologies, including many cancers and neurological diseases. Recently, it has been reported that HERVs are differently expressed in COVID-19 disease caused by infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In this review, we discuss the molecular structure and function of HERV ENV proteins, particularly syncytins, and their conventional roles in human development and diseases, and potential involvement in COVID-19 regarding the newly reported mental symptoms. We also address COVID-19 vaccine-related infertility concerns arising from the similarity of syncytin with the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, which have been proved invalid.