Changes

[[Image:Retrovirus.gif|right|thumb|200px|A diagram showing the alledged phylogenetic tree of primates constructed from shared ERV insertions along with when these insertions took place.]]

[[Image:Retrovirus.gif|right|thumb|200px|]]A diagram showing the alledged phylogenetic tree of primates constructed from shared ERV insertions along with when these insertions took place.]]

An '''Endogenous retrovirus''' (ERV) is genetic insertion in an organism's genome from an inactivated [[retrovirus]]. A retrovirus stores its genetic information in [[RNA]] and must reverse transcribe it into [[DNA]] before insertion into the host's genome. This process is prone to error and sometimes the errors will inactivate the gene. When these inactivate genes are inserted in the [[germ line]] of the host all its descendants will also have the inactivated insertion. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) have been linked to several autoimmune diseases such as [[multiple sclerosis]].  

An '''Endogenous retrovirus''' (ERV) is genetic insertion in an organism's genome from an inactivated [[retrovirus]]. A retrovirus stores its genetic information in [[RNA]] and must reverse transcribe it into [[DNA]] before insertion into the host's genome. This process is prone to error and sometimes the errors will inactivate the gene. When these inactivate genes are inserted in the [[germ line]] of the host all its descendants will also have the inactivated insertion. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) have been linked to several autoimmune diseases such as [[multiple sclerosis]].