title: Is the simian virus SV40 associated with idiopathic focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in humans?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Glomerulosclerosis was reported in mice transgenic for the simian polyomavirus SV40 early region that contains the transforming sequences encoding the SV40 large T-antigen (TAG). This was discovered when an SV40 epidemic occurred following the use of contaminated polio vaccines during 1955-1963, and led to investigations that showed an association between SV40 infection and tumors in humans. We investigated the possible association of SV40 infection and idiopathic focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was performed in 17 Bouin-fixed, paraffin-embedded renal biopsies from FSGS patients and 10 matched biopsies from patients with IgA glomerulonephritis; all patients had undergone polio vaccination in the early 1960s. Extracted DNA was polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified using SV.for3/SV.rev primers and GabE1/GabE2 primers; both sets of primers map in the region of SV40 TAG sequences, and amplify a fragment of respectively 105-bp and 135-bp. The biopsies considered were those in which the DNA was sufficiently intact to allow amplification of a fragment of 102-bp of the ApoE gene.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three FSGS and none of the IgA biopsies were positive for the SV.for3/SV.rev fragment. Conversely, amplification with GabE1/GabE2 primers did not lead to any specific product in either the IgA or FSGS biopsies. Restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing analyses revealed that the positive results obtained with the SV.for3/SV.rev primers were due to amplicons generated by multiple dimerization of forward and reverse primers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With the limited number of patients investigated, this study excludes the hypothesis that SV40 is associated with idiopathic FSGS.
authors.affiliation: Research Center DiaTech, Jesi, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Galdenzi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lupo
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Anglani
authors.forename: Marino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perini
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Galeazzi
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giunta
authors.forename: Carmelita
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marcantoni
authors.forename: Dorella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Del Prete
authors.forename: Romina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Graziotto
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'angelo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maschio
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gambaro
mesh_terms: D000952:Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005922:Glomerulonephritis, IGA / Q000821:virology; D005923:Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D027601:Polyomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D013539:Simian virus 40; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D000952:Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming; D004279:DNA, Viral; D010446:Peptide Fragments