BACKGROUND: A novel polyomavirus, the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC); however, the prevalence of MCPyV in Japan has not been extensively investigated. OBJECTIVE: To clarify the prevalence of MCPyV in Japanese patients with MCC. METHODS: MCPyV DNA was examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) or frozen tissue samples from 26 patients with MCC diagnosed in four medical centers in Japan. Immunohistochemistry was simultaneously performed using a monoclonal antibody against the viral large T (LT) antigen. FFPE samples from basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were also analyzed as controls. RESULTS: Twenty-three out of 26 cases (88.5%) were positive for MCPyV DNA by PCR. The amplified products harbored 4 patterns of mutations. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that one of our strains was closely related to the other Japanese strains previously reported. The LT antigen was expressed in various degrees in 20 of 26 cases (76.9%) by immunohistochemistry. Histological type had little relation to CM2B4 positivity, whereas 3 of 5 trabecular-type tumors showed no staining. The immunoreactivity for CM2B4 did not correlate with the relative viral DNA load. In BCC and SCC, the LT antigen was immunohistochemically positive, but MCPyV DNA was not detected by PCR. The cells around some MCC and non-MCC tumors were stained with CM2B4 with a distribution similar to CD20- and CD45RO- (especially CD8-) positive lymphocytes. CONCLUSION: MCPyV was highly positive in Japanese patients with MCC. It is of note that the positive rate differs depending upon the detection method.
BACKGROUND: A novel polyomavirus, the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC); however, the prevalence of MCPyV in Japan has not been extensively investigated. OBJECTIVE: To clarify the prevalence of MCPyV in Japanese patients with MCC. METHODS:MCPyV DNA was examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) or frozen tissue samples from 26 patients with MCC diagnosed in four medical centers in Japan. Immunohistochemistry was simultaneously performed using a monoclonal antibody against the viral large T (LT) antigen. FFPE samples from basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were also analyzed as controls. RESULTS: Twenty-three out of 26 cases (88.5%) were positive for MCPyV DNA by PCR. The amplified products harbored 4 patterns of mutations. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that one of our strains was closely related to the other Japanese strains previously reported. The LT antigen was expressed in various degrees in 20 of 26 cases (76.9%) by immunohistochemistry. Histological type had little relation to CM2B4 positivity, whereas 3 of 5 trabecular-type tumors showed no staining. The immunoreactivity for CM2B4 did not correlate with the relative viral DNA load. In BCC and SCC, the LT antigen was immunohistochemically positive, but MCPyV DNA was not detected by PCR. The cells around some MCC and non-MCC tumors were stained with CM2B4 with a distribution similar to CD20- and CD45RO- (especially CD8-) positive lymphocytes. CONCLUSION:MCPyV was highly positive in Japanese patients with MCC. It is of note that the positive rate differs depending upon the detection method.
Authors: Lisha Wang; Paul W Harms; Nallasivam Palanisamy; Shannon Carskadon; Xuhong Cao; Javed Siddiqui; Rajiv M Patel; Sylvia Zelenka-Wang; Alison B Durham; Douglas R Fullen; Kelly L Harms; Fengyun Su; Sudhanshu Shukla; Rohit Mehra; Arul M Chinnaiyan Journal: Clin Cancer Res Date: 2017-06-12 Impact factor: 12.531
Authors: Shalaka S Hampras; Anna R Giuliano; Hui-Yi Lin; Kate J Fisher; Martha E Abrahamsen; Sandrine McKay-Chopin; Tarik Gheit; Massimo Tommasino; Dana E Rollison Journal: J Infect Dis Date: 2014-11-11 Impact factor: 5.226
Authors: Shalaka S Hampras; Angelika Michel; Markus Schmitt; Tim Waterboer; Lena Kranz; Tarik Gheit; Kate Fisher; Vernon K Sondak; Jane Messina; Neil Fenske; Basil Cherpelis; Massimo Tommasino; Michael Pawlita; Dana E Rollison Journal: Infect Agent Cancer Date: 2015-10-19 Impact factor: 2.965
Authors: Shalaka S Hampras; Frederick L Locke; Julio C Chavez; Nishit S Patel; Anna R Giuliano; Kyle Miller; Tarik Gheit; Massimo Tommasino; Dana E Rollison Journal: Leuk Lymphoma Date: 2017-07-06