title: DNA from KI, WU and Merkel cell polyomaviruses is not detected in childhood central nervous system tumours or neuroblastomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  BK and JC polyomaviruses (BKV and JCV) are potentially oncogenic and have in the past inconclusively been associated with tumours of the central nervous system (CNS), while BKV has been hinted, but not confirmed to be associated with neuroblastomas. Recently three new polyomaviruses (KIPyV, WUPyV and MCPyV) were identified in humans. So far KIPyV and WUPyV have not been associated to human diseases, while MCPyV was discovered in Merkel Cell carcinomas and may have neuroepithelial cell tropism. However, all three viruses can be potentially oncogenic and this compelled us to investigate for their presence in childhood CNS and neuroblastomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  The presence of KI, WU and MCPyV DNA was analysed, by a joint WU and KI specific PCR (covering part of VP1) and by a MCPyV specific regular and real time quantitative PCR (covering part of Large T) in 25 CNS tumour biopsies and 31 neuroblastoma biopsies from the Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden. None of the three new human polyomaviruses were found to be associated with any of the tumours, despite the presence of PCR amplifiable DNA assayed by a S14 housekeeping gene PCR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this pilot study, the presence of MCPyV, KI and WU was not observed in childhood CNS tumours and neuroblastomas. Nonetheless, we suggest that additional data are warranted in tumours of the central and peripheral nervous systems and we do not exclude that other still not yet detected polyomaviruses could be present in these tumours.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. geraldine.giraud@ki.se
authors.forename: Géraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giraud
authors.forename: Torbjörn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ramqvist
authors.forename: Diana V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Pastrana
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pavot
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lindau
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kogner
authors.forename: Abiel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orrego
authors.forename: Christopher B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Buck
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Allander
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.forename: Bengt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gustavsson
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dalianis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D001706:Biopsy; D016543:Central Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D018862:Merkel Cells / Q000821:virology*; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011120:Polyomavirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D013548:Sweden
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral