Endogenous retroviruses comprise millions of discrete genetic loci distributed within the genomes of extant vertebrates. These sequences, which are clearly related to exogenous retroviruses, represent retroviral infections of the deep past, and their abundance suggests that retroviruses were a near-constant presence throughout the evolutionary history of modern vertebrates. Endogenous retroviruses contribute in myriad ways to the evolution of host genomes, as mutagens and as sources of genetic novelty (both coding and regulatory) to be acted upon by the twin engines of random genetic drift and natural selection. Importantly, the richness and complexity of endogenous retrovirus data can be used to understand how viruses spread and adapt on evolutionary timescales by combining population genetics and evolutionary theory with a detailed understanding of retrovirus biology (gleaned from the study of extant retroviruses). In addition to revealing the impact of viruses on organismal evolution, such studies can help us better understand, by looking back in time, how life-history traits, as well as ecological and geological events, influence the movement of viruses within and between populations.

中文翻译：

---

基因组学时代的内源性逆转录病毒。

内源性逆转录病毒包含数以百万计的离散遗传基因座，分布在现存脊椎动物的基因组内。这些明显与外源逆转录病毒相关的序列代表了过去的逆转录病毒感染，并且它们的丰富性表明，在现代脊椎动物的整个进化史中，逆转录病毒几乎是恒定存在的。内源性逆转录病毒以多种方式促进宿主基因组的进化，成为诱变剂和遗传新颖性的来源（包括编码和调控），由随机遗传漂移和自然选择的双引擎作用。重要的，通过将种群遗传学和进化理论与对逆转录病毒生物学的详细了解结合起来（从对现存逆转录病毒的研究中得出），可以使用内源性逆转录病毒数据的丰富性和复杂性来了解病毒如何在进化时间尺度上传播和适应。这些研究除了揭示病毒对机体进化的影响外，还可以通过回顾时间来帮助我们更好地了解生命历史特征以及生态和地质事件如何影响病毒在种群内部和种群之间的移动。