title: High expression of MeCP2 in JC virus-infected cells of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy brains.
abstract: Mutations of the methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) gene are a major cause of Rett syndrome. To investigate whether the expression of this gene was related to JC virus (JCV) infection, we examined brains of four progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) patients. JCV infection was confirmed by immunohistochemical labeling with antibodies against JCV VP1, agnoprotein and large T antigen. MeCP2 expression was examined by immunohistochemistry using a specific polyclonal antibody against MeCP2. In normal brains and uninfected cortices of PML brains, MeCP2 expression was observed in the nuclei of neurons, but not observed in glial and endothelial cell nuclei. However, in PML brains intense immunolabeling was observed in abnormally enlarged glial nuclei of JCV-infected cells. Double immunolabeling using antibodies against large T antigen (visualized as blue) and MeCP2 (visualised as red) revealed dark red JCV-infected nuclei, which confirmed that the JCV infected nuclei expressed MeCP2. We conclude that MeCP2 is highly expressed in the JCV-infected nuclei of PML brain and these results may provide a new insight into the mechanism which regulates the MeCP2 expression in glial cells by the infection of JCV.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cancer Research, Department of Pathology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Saya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shirai
authors.forename: Kenta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kohsaka
authors.forename: Tetsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsukamoto
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Isogai
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sawa
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagashima
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007577:JC Virus / Q000502:physiology*; D007968:Leukoencephalopathy, Progressive Multifocal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D051783:Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: C497392:MECP2 protein, human; D051783:Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2