Merkel cell polyomavirus is not detected in mesotheliomas

Our plain-English summary of Merkel cell polyomavirus is not detected in mesotheliomas, by K. Bhatia, R. Modali, J.J. Goedert (Journal of Clinical Virology, 2010).

The study

• Authors: K. Bhatia, R. Modali, J.J. Goedert
• Journal: Journal of Clinical Virology
• Published: 2010;47(2):196-8
• Cited by: 14 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Background: Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is the first polyoma virus consistently linked to the etiology of a human cancer. Serological studies indicate that the virus is commonly acquired in childhood, with seroprevalence reaching 50% or higher among young adults. The modes of MCPyV transmission are still unclear, but it has been identified in respiratory tract samples. Given its respiratory tropism, we examined whether MCPyV could be detected in mesothelioma tissue, a malignancy induced in animal models by another polyomavirus, SV40.

Objective: To determine if MCPyV DNA can be detected in mesothelioma.

Study Design: DNA was extracted from 45 fresh-frozen mesothelioma samples. PCR was used to detect and quantify the abundance of MCPyV DNA, and a human control gene, in duplicates of the tissues. DNA from a sequence verified MCC tumor was used as a positive control.

Results: The human control gene was detected at high levels in all but three mesothelioma tissues. MCPyV DNA was detected in only one mesothelioma, and the level of viral DNA was very low.

Conclusions: These results are inconsistent with the hypothesis that MCPyV is etiologically linked to mesothelioma.

In plain English

This short laboratory report tested whether Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) could be found in mesothelioma tumors. MCPyV is a virus linked to a rare cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma. The authors obtained 45 fresh-frozen mesothelioma samples, all confirmed under the microscope, from The National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank. They used a PCR test to look for the virus's DNA. As negative controls they used DNA from blood cells of 20 unrelated people. As positive controls they used DNA from 3 Merkel cell carcinoma tumors already known to contain the virus. Forty-two of the 45 tumor samples gave usable human DNA. Viral DNA turned up in only one of those 42 tumors, in only one of its two test runs, at an estimated level of less than 150 viral copies per million cells. None of the 20 blood-cell DNA samples tested positive for MCPyV DNA. The authors suggested the single positive result might reflect infected bystander cells. They concluded that the results were inconsistent with the idea that MCPyV is a cause of mesothelioma. They added that antibody studies would be useful. The article did not report the patients' asbestos exposure.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Laboratory study (short communication) testing tumor tissue for viral DNA by quantitative PCR
• Who was studied: 45 fresh-frozen, histologically confirmed mesothelioma samples from The National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank (University of Pittsburgh). Controls were 20 peripheral blood lymphocyte DNA specimens from an unrelated set of individuals, plus 3 Merkel cell carcinoma tumors known to contain the virus. The site of the mesotheliomas (pleural or peritoneal), patient details and dates were not reported.
• Exposure: Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) DNA in mesothelioma tissue. The patients' asbestos exposure was not studied or reported.
• Main results:
  • 42 of the 45 mesothelioma samples and all 20 blood (PBL) samples contained amplifiable human DNA.
  • None of the 20 blood (PBL) control DNA samples tested positive for MCPyV DNA.
  • MCPyV was detected in 1 of the 42 testable mesotheliomas, and in only one of its duplicate runs.
  • In that one mesothelioma, the amount of viral DNA was estimated at less than 150 MCPyV copies per million cells.
  • The authors suggested the low-level positive might represent infected bystander or other normal cells in the tumor.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that their results were inconsistent with the hypothesis that MCPyV is etiologically linked to mesothelioma. They also wrote that if a polyomavirus is linked to human mesothelioma, it probably is not MCPyV.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors noted that some Merkel cell carcinoma cases had MCPyV antibodies even though no viral genome was found in their tumors. They therefore said that antibody (serological) studies of mesothelioma cases and appropriate controls would be useful.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Etiology, SV40.

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• Simian virus 40 large T antigen (SV40LTAg) primer specific DNA amplification in human pleural mesothelioma tissue — C. Pepper, B. Jasani, et al. (1996)
• SV40-like DNA sequences in pleural mesothelioma, bronchopulmonary carcinoma, and non-malignant pulmonary diseases — F. Galateau-Salle, P. Bidet, et al. (1998)

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