title: Simian virus 40-like sequences from early and late regions in human thyroid tumors of different histotypes.
abstract: Simian virus 40 (SV40) sequences were investigated in human thyroid tumors of different histotypes, Graves' disease thyroid specimens, normal thyroid tissues, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of healthy donors. Specific SV40 large T antigen (Tag) sequences were detected, by PCR and filter hybridization, in human thyroid tumors with a frequency ranging from 66% in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) to 100% in anaplastic thyroid carcinomas (ATC). SV40 was revealed in 60% and 100% of normal thyroid tissues adjacent to PTC and ATC, respectively, but in only 10% of control normal thyroid tissues (NTT) from patients affected by multinodular goiter. Thyroid tissues from patients affected by the Graves' disease were found to be SV40 positive with a frequency of 20%. In agreement with previous investigations, the presence of SV40 sequences was detected in 25% of PBMC of healthy individuals. SV40 Tag mRNA was detected by RT-PCR, whereas the viral oncoprotein was revealed by immunohistochemistry with a specific monoclonal antibody. The high prevalence of SV40 footprints in human thyroid tumors indicates that the oncogenic virus may participate as a cofactor in the onset/progression of specific human thyroid cancers. Detection of SV40 sequences in NTT adjacent to thyroid cancers suggests that the viral infection may spread from transformed cells to normal cells surrounding the tumor. The presence of the SV40 footprint in PBMC implies that blood cells are vectors of the virus in other tissues of the host.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Section of Endocrinology, University of Pisa School of Medicine, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Agnese
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vivaldi
authors.forename: Furio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pacini
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iaccheri
authors.forename: Furio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pezzetti
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Elisei
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pinchera
authors.forename: Pinuccia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Faviana
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Basolo
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tognon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006044:Goiter, Nodular / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000235:genetics*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D036022:Capsid Proteins; C062481:VP1 protein, polyomavirus