title: Detection of human cytomegalovirus genome and gene products in central nervous system tumours.
abstract: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genome and related proteins have been reported in a great proportion of malignant gliomas. However, these results are unexpected since HCMV is not known as an oncogenic virus. By immunohistochemistry (with an anti-IE1 monoclonal antibody) and in situ hybridisation (with biotinylated DNA probes) on tissue microarrays and frozen sections, we investigated a French series of central nervous system (CNS) tumours, including 97 glioblastomas. In 10 cases of glioblastoma, rare astrocyte-like cells, admixed with tumour cells, stained positively for HCMV and in one case a doubtful staining of rare cells was noticed. This may indicate a reactivation of the virus under local immunosuppression but none of the cases of CNS tumours (n=132) contained HCMV genomes and/or proteins in a significant proportion of tumour cells. Our results strongly suggest that HCMV is unlikely to be implicated in the development of human malignant gliomas, at least in French cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Purpan Hospital, Place Baylak, 31059 Toulouse Cedex, France.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sabatier
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Uro-Coste
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pommepuy
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Labrousse
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Allart
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trémoulet
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Delisle
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brousset
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016543:Central Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000821:virology*; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral