title: Expression of p53 in virally infected tubular cells in renal transplant patients with polyomavirus nephropathy.
abstract: Polyomavirus (PV) infection is associated with ureteral stenosis, hemorrhagic cystitis, and interstitial nephritis in renal transplant patients. The 3 PVs detected in human beings-BK virus, JC virus, and simian virus 40-each encode highly homologous forms of a large T antigen, a transcriptional and replicational regulatory protein. We describe immunohistochemical findings in 5 renal transplant patients who developed PV nephropathy (PVN) and a sixth patient with both PVN and PV infection of the bladder mucosa. Polyomavirus infection was confirmed by immunohistochemical detection of T antigen in kidney and bladder biopsies. We report on the expression of p53 specific to virally infected cells in all biopsies positive for T antigen. Examination of posttransplant biopsies obtained from these 6 patients before they were diagnosed with PVN revealed no expression of T antigen or p53. Accumulation of p53 in PV-infected cells may occur in response to binding of p53 by T antigen, resulting in stabilization of p53. These results provide the first evidence for intracellular actions of PV T antigen in the context of nonneoplastic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA. david.weinreb@mssm.edu
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Weinreb
authors.forename: Garrett T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Desman
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Burstein
authors.forename: Dae Un
authors.initials: DU
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Steven H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Dikman
authors.forename: Edward M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor / Q000276:immunology; D001706:Biopsy; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D011120:Polyomavirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D027601:Polyomavirus Infections / Q000473:pathology*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53