title: Antibody responses to simian virus 40 T antigen: a case-control study of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
abstract: A possible role for SV40, a macaque polyomavirus, in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in humans was raised recently by the reported detection of SV40 DNA in tumor tissue. Animals with SV40-induced tumors frequently produce high-level antibodies against T antigen, the SV40 oncoprotein. In this study, we assessed whether SV40 T antibody measured in humans supported a relationship between SV40 and NHL. Subjects were sampled from a U.S. population-based case-control study of NHL, according to presence of antibodies against capsids of SV40 and BK, a related human polyomavirus (n = 85 cases, n = 95 controls). T antibody was measured by enzyme immunoassay. We also evaluated serum specimens from SV40-infected and SV40-uninfected macaques (n = 19 and n = 8, respectively), SV40-uninfected hamsters (n = 5), and hamsters with SV40-induced tumors (n = 10). Hamsters with SV40-induced tumors all produced robust SV40 T antibody [median absorbance, 0.99), whereas SV40-uninfected hamsters and macaques had much lower levels (median absorbance, 0.05 and 0.04, respectively). NHL cases, controls, and SV40-infected macaques resembled these latter two groups, generally showing only low-level T antibody (median absorbance, 0.03, 0.04, and 0.04, respectively). Overall, only five cases (6%) and five controls (5%) had T antibody responses classified as seropositive (odds ratio, 1.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.3-4.6). Interestingly, all 10 humans with T antibody responses also showed antibody responses to BK capsid. We found no association between the presence of T antibody and NHL, arguing against SV40 as a cause of NHL. Infrequent and low-level T antibody responses among humans could represent cross-reactivity to BK virus T antigen.
authors.affiliation: Viral Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Department of Health and Human Services, 6120 Executive Boulevard, EPS 8010, Rockville, MD 20892, USA. engelse@exchange.nih.gov
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Engels
authors.forename: Jinbo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hartge
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cerhan
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Richard K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Severson
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cozen
authors.forename: Raphael P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Viscidi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor / Q000276:immunology*; D001739:BK Virus / Q000276:immunology; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006224:Cricetinae; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D008251:Macaca; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D027601:Polyomavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000276:immunology*; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor; D036022:Capsid Proteins