title: Human mammary tumor virus (HMTV) in endometrial carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Human mammary tumor virus (HMTV) is 90% to 98% homologous to mouse mammary tumor virus, the etiological agent of mammary tumors in mice. Human mammary tumor virus sequences were found in 40% of the breast cancers studied in both American and Australian women. In addition, 10% of endometrial carcinomas studied in Australian women also contained HMTV sequences. We have explored the possibility that endometrial cancer of American women may also contain HMTV.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nested polymerase chain reactions, radioactive internal probing, and sequencing were used to establish the presence of unique nucleotide sequences of HMTV in human genomic DNA. The genomic DNAs were tested to guarantee that they were free of murine DNA. Immunohistochemistry with a monoclonal antibody specific for HMTV envelope protein demonstrated that HMTV sequences were translated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen (23.2%) of 56 of the endometrial cancers studied contained HMTV sequences and proteins. Human mammary tumor virus sequences and protein were not detected in the 33 normal endometria studied.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Human mammary tumor virus, an agent with high homology to mouse mammary tumor virus, was found in 23.2% of the endometrial cancers studied, thus opening the possibility of a pathogenic role.
authors.affiliation: *Departments of Pathology, †Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, ‡Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, and §Microbiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Liane
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deligdisch
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Marin
authors.forename: Anna T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Polly
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Etkind
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Melana
authors.forename: Beatriz G T
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Pogo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000821:virology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D015752:Genes, env; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*