Koala retrovirus and neoplasia: correlation and underlying mechanisms

Abstract

The koala retrovirus, KoRV, is one of the few models for understanding the health consequences of retroviral colonization of the germline. Such colonization events transition exogenous infectious retroviruses to Mendelian traits or endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). KoRV is currently in a transitional state from exogenous retrovirus to ERV, which in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) has been associated with strongly elevated levels of neoplasia. In this review, we describe what is currently known about the associations and underlying mechanisms of KoRV-induced neoplasia.