1. Detection of a novel truncating Merkel cell polyomavirus large T antigen deletion in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells
- Author
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Anna Kordelia Kurz, Christian P. Pallasch, N. Deepa Pantulu, Hans Michael Kvasnicka, Axel zur Hausen, Sebastian Sodenkamp, Clemens M. Wendtner, Lukas P. Frenzel, and Ahmad Kassem
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming ,Chronic lymphocytic leukemia ,DNA Mutational Analysis ,Immunology ,Merkel cell polyomavirus ,Biology ,Biochemistry ,Merkel Cells ,law.invention ,immune system diseases ,law ,hemic and lymphatic diseases ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,Polymerase chain reaction ,Aged ,Sequence Deletion ,Aged, 80 and over ,Hematology ,Merkel cell carcinoma ,Cancer ,Cell Biology ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell ,Virology ,Carcinoma, Merkel Cell ,Tumor Virus Infections ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Cancer research ,Immunohistochemistry ,Female ,Polyomavirus ,Merkel cell - Abstract
Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is detected in approximately 80% of Merkel cell carcinomas (MCC). Yet, clonal integration and truncating mutations of the large T antigen (LTAg) of MCPyV are restricted to MCC. We tested the presence and mutations of MCPyV in highly purified leukemic cells of 70 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. MCPyV was detected in 27.1% (n = 19) of these CLL cases. In contrast, MCPyV was detected only in 13.4% of normal controls (P < .036) in which no LTAg mutations were found. Mutational analyses revealed a novel 246bp LTAg deletion in the helicase gene in 6 of 19 MCPyV-positive CLL cases. 2 CLL cases showed concomitant mutated and wild-type MCPyV. Immunohistochemistry revealed protein expression of the LTAg in MCPyV-positive CLL cases. The detection of MCPyV, including LTAg deletions and LTAg expression in CLL cells argues for a potential role of MCPyV in a significant subset of CLL cases.
- Published
- 2010
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