A high expression of HERV-W envelope protein (HERV-WEnv) observed in serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells and pancreas of T1D patients has been recently correlated with macrophage infiltrates, inhibited insulin secretion in human Langerhans islets in vitro and corroborated by studies in transgenic mice10 which also develop autoantibodies against recombinant viral gp70 envelope protein increasing in titer along with disease progression11. This evidence concerns the gene ERVW-1 and type 1 diabetes mellitus.