title: Modulation of Radiation-Induced Genetic Damage by HCMV in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes from a Brain Tumor Case-Control Study.
abstract: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection occurs early in life and viral persistence remains through life. An association between HCMV infection and malignant gliomas has been reported, suggesting that HCMV may play a role in glioma pathogenesis and could facilitate an accrual of genotoxic damage in the presence of g-radiation; an established risk factor for gliomas. We tested the hypothesis that HCMV infection modifies the sensitivity of cells to γ-radiation-induced genetic damage. We used peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from 110 glioma patients and 100 controls to measure the level of chromosome damage and cell death. We evaluated baseline, HCMV-, γ-radiation and HCMV + γ-radiation induced genetic instability with the comprehensive Cytokinesis-Blocked Micronucleus Cytome (CBMN-CYT). HCMV, similar to radiation, induced a significant increase in aberration frequency among cases and controls. PBLs infected with HCMV prior to challenge with γ-radiation led to a significant increase in aberrations as compared to baseline, γ-radiation and HCMV alone. With regards to apoptosis, glioma cases showed a lower percentage of induction following in vitro exposure to γ-radiation and HCMV infection as compared to controls. This strongly suggests that, HCMV infection enhances the sensitivity of PBLs to γ-radiation-induced genetic damage possibly through an increase in chromosome damage and decrease in apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA. relzein@mdanderson.org.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Rourke
authors.forename: Mirtha S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.forename: Claudia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Monroy
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Scheurer
authors.forename: Carol J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Etzel
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Albrecht
authors.forename: Melissa L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bondy
authors.forename: Randa A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: El-Zein