No detection of XMRV in blood samples and tissue sections from prostate cancer patients in Northern Europe.
BACKGROUND
We recently published the rare detection of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) (1/105) in prostate cancer (PCA) tissue of patients in Northern Europe by PCR. The controversial discussion about the virus being detected in PCA tissue, blood samples from patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), as well as from a significant number of healthy controls prompted us to deepen our studies about detection of XMRV infection applying different detection methods (PCR, cocultivation and immunohistochemistry [IHC]).


RESULTS
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 92 PCA and 7 healthy controls were isolated, PHA activated and cocultivated with LNCaP cells for up to 8 weeks. Supernatant of these cells was applied to a reporter cell line, DERSE-iGFP. Furthermore, the PBMCs and cocultivated LNCaP cells were tested for the presence of XMRV by PCR as well as Western Blot analysis. While all PCR amplifications and Western Blot analyses were negative for signs of XMRV infection, DERSE-iGFP cells displayed isolated GFP positive cells in three cases. In all three cases XMRV presence could not be confirmed by PCR technology. In addition, we performed XMRV specific IHC on PCA tissue sections. Whole tissue sections (n = 20), as well as tissue microarrays (TMA) including 50 benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), 50 low grade and 50 high grade PCA sections and TMAs including breast cancer, colon cancer and normal tissues were stained with two XMRV specific antisera. XMRV protein expression was not detected in any cancer sections included. One BPH tissue displayed XMRV specific protein expression in random isolated basal cells.


CONCLUSIONS
We were unable to conclusively detect XMRV in the blood from PCA patients or from healthy controls and there is no conclusive evidence of XMRV protein expression in PCA, breast cancer and colon cancer tissue sections tested by IHC staining.
Institute for Medical Microbiology and Virology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Kristin
K
Stieler
Sarah
S
Schindler
Thorsten
T
Schlomm
Oliver
O
Hohn
Norbert
N
Bannert
Ronald
R
Simon
Sarah
S
Minner
Michael
M
Schindler
Nicole
N
Fischer
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002469:Cell Separation; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014779:Virus Replication; D058008:Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology
D014764:Viral Proteins