2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Analysis of polyoma virus related tumor: Merlkel cell polyomavirus infection and tumorgenesis

Research Project

Project/Area Number	23590389
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Research Field	Human pathology
Research Institution	Chiba University
Principal Investigator	OTA Satoshi 千葉大学, 医学部附属病院, 准教授 (90324342)
Project Period (FY)	2011 – 2013
Keywords	メルケル細胞ポリオーマウイルス / 皮膚腫瘍
Research Abstract	Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) has recently been identified in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), an aggressive cancer that occurs in sun-exposed skin. We performed quantitative analyses of the MCPyV copy number in various skin tumor tissues, including MCC and other sun exposure-related skin tumors. In a conventional PCR analysis, MCPyV DNA was detected in all 9 MCCs, 1 Basal cell carcinoma, and 3 Actinic Keraotis. The viral copy number per haploid genome was estimated to be around 1 in most MCC tissues, and there were marked differences between the MCC and AK groups by digital PCR technology. PCR-positive BCC tissue showed a similar viral load as MCC tissue. Immunohistochemistry with a monoclonal antibody against the MCPyV T antigen demonstrated positive nuclear localization in most of the high-viral-load tumor groups, but not in the low-viral-load or PCR-negative tumor groups. These results demonstrated that MCPyV infection is possibly involved in a minority of sun-exposed skin tumors.

(4 results)