title: Detection of mycoplasma infection in circulating tumor cells in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: Many studies have shown that persistent infections of bacteria promote carcinogenesis and metastasis. Infectious agents and their products can modulate cancer progression through the induction of host inflammatory and immune responses. The presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is considered as an important indicator in the metastatic cascade. We unintentionally produced a monoclonal antibody (MAb) CA27 against the mycoplasmal p37 protein in mycoplasma-infected cancer cells during the searching process of novel surface markers of CTCs. Mycoplasma-infected cells were enriched by CA27-conjugated magnetic beads in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and analyzed by confocal microscopy with anti-CD45 and CA27 antibodies. CD45-negative and CA27-positive cells were readily detected in three out of seven patients (range 12-30/8.5 ml blood), indicating that they are mycoplasma-infected circulating epithelial cells. CA27-positive cells had larger size than CD45-positive hematological lineage cells, high nuclear to cytoplasmic ratios and irregular nuclear morphology, which identified them as CTCs. The results show for the first time the existence of mycoplasma-infected CTCs in patients with HCC and suggest a possible correlation between mycoplasma infection and the development of cancer metastasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Institute of Bioscience, Sejong University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hong Seo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Institute of Bioscience, Sejong University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Institute of Bioscience, Sejong University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Won-Tae
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Institute of Bioscience, Sejong University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Min Kyu
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Center for Colorectal Cancer, Research Institute and Hospital of National Cancer Center, Goyang-si, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hee Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang-si, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hye Ran
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Joh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: oncorkim@skku.edu.
authors.forename: Dae Shick
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Institute of Bioscience, Sejong University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: cjryu@sejong.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Chun Jeih
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Ryu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000276:immunology*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D002460:Cell Line; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; C090797:CA 27-29 antigen
keywords: Circulating tumor cell; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Metastasis; Monoclonal antibody CA27; Mycoplasmal p37 protein