Merkel cell polyomavirus detection in Merkel cell cancer tumors in Northern Germany using PCR and protein expression

Merkel cell carcinoma is a highly malignant skin cancer which predominantly occurs in elderly and immunocompromised persons. The identification of the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) has inaugurated a new understanding of Merkel cell carcinoma pathogenesis. The frequent detection of the virus in Me...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical virology 2014-10, Vol.86 (10), p.1813-1819
Main Authors: Leitz, Miriam, Stieler, Kristin, Grundhoff, Adam, Moll, Ingrid, Brandner, Johanna M., Fischer, Nicole
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Carcinoma, Merkel Cell - virology
DNA, Viral - analysis
DNA, Viral - genetics
Female
Germany
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
LT-Antigen expression
Male
Merkel cell cancer
Merkel cell polyomavirus
Merkel cell polyomavirus - isolation & purification
Middle Aged
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Polyomavirus
polyomavirus and skin cancer
Protein expression
Skin cancer
Viral Proteins - analysis
Virology
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Merkel cell carcinoma is a highly malignant skin cancer which predominantly occurs in elderly and immunocompromised persons. The identification of the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) has inaugurated a new understanding of Merkel cell carcinoma pathogenesis. The frequent detection of the virus in Merkel cell carcinoma tissue (70–90%), its monoclonal integration in the tumor cells and the expression of viral oncogenes highly suggest that MCPyV is causally linked to the pathogenesis of the majority of Merkel cell cancer (MCC) cases. Using qualitative and quantitative PCR together with immunohistochemical staining this study aimed at characterizing the presence of MCPyV sequences and viral early gene expression in a cohort of MCC cases (n = 32) selected in Northern Germany. 40–57% of the cases were identified as MCPyV positive with 40.6% of the cases positive by immunohistochemical staining and 51.6–57.6% positive by PCR. Interestingly, in the majority (64%) of LT‐Antigen positive tumors only 25–50% of tumor cells express LT‐Antigen. These data are in accord with published studies describing heterogeneity in MCPyV viral loads and suggest that detection of MCPyV in Merkel cell carcinoma by PCR should be undertaken using multiple primer pairs. J. Med. Virol. 86: 1813–1819, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ISSN:0146-6615
1096-9071
DOI:10.1002/jmv.23808