TY - JOUR T1 - Immunologic evidence of a strong association between non-Hodgkin lymphoma and simian virus 40. JF - Cancer Y1 - 2015 A1 - Tognon, Mauro A1 - Luppi, Mario A1 - Corallini, Alfredo A1 - Taronna, Angelo A1 - Barozzi, Patrizia A1 - Rotondo, John Charles A1 - Comar, Manola A1 - Casali, Maria Vittoria A1 - Bovenzi, Massimo A1 - D'Agostino, Antonio A1 - Vinante, Fabrizio A1 - Rigo, Antonella A1 - Ferrarini, Isacco A1 - Barbanti-Brodano, Giuseppe A1 - Martini, Fernanda A1 - Mazzoni, Elisa KW - Adult KW - Aged KW - Antibodies, Viral KW - Capsid Proteins KW - Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay KW - Female KW - Humans KW - Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin KW - Male KW - Middle Aged KW - Polyomavirus Infections KW - Seroepidemiologic Studies KW - Simian virus 40 KW - Tumor Virus Infections AB -

BACKGROUND: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), the most common cancer of the lymphatic system, is of unknown etiology. The identification of etiologic factors in the onset of NHL is a key event that could facilitate the prevention and cure of this malignancy. Simian virus 40 (SV40) has been considered an oncogenic agent in the onset/progression of NHL.

METHODS: In this study, an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with 2 synthetic peptides that mimic SV40 antigens of viral capsid proteins 1 to 3 was employed to detect specific antibodies against SV40. Serum samples were taken from 2 distinct cohorts of NHL-affected patients (NHL1 [n = 89] and NHL2 [n = 61]) along with controls represented by oncologic patients affected by breast cancer (BC; n = 78) and undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (UNPC; n = 64) and 3 different cohorts of healthy subjects (HSs; HS1 [n = 130], HS2 [n = 83], and HS3 [n = 87]).

RESULTS: Immunologic data indicated that in serum samples from NHL patients, antibodies against SV40 mimotopes were detectable with a prevalence of 40% in NHL1 patients and with a prevalence of 43% in NHL2 patients. In HSs of the same median age as NHL patients, the prevalence was 16% for the HS1 group (57 years) and 14% for the HS2 group (65 years). The difference was statistically significant (P < .0001 and P < .001). Interestingly, the difference between NHL1/NHL2 patients and BC patients (40%/43% vs 15%, P < .001) and between NHL1/NHL2 patients and UNPC patients (40%/43% vs 25%, P < .05) was significant.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate a strong association between NHL and SV40 and thus a need for innovative therapeutic approaches for this hematologic malignancy.

VL - 121 IS - 15 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25877010?dopt=Abstract ER - TY - JOUR T1 - High prevalence of serum antibodies reacting with simian virus 40 capsid protein mimotopes in patients affected by malignant pleural mesothelioma. JF - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Y1 - 2012 A1 - Mazzoni, Elisa A1 - Corallini, Alfredo A1 - Cristaudo, Alfonso A1 - Taronna, Angelo A1 - Tassi, Gianfranco A1 - Manfrini, Marco A1 - Comar, Manola A1 - Bovenzi, Massimo A1 - Guaschino, Roberto A1 - Vaniglia, Francesca A1 - Magnani, Corrado A1 - Casali, Ferruccio A1 - Rezza, Giovanni A1 - Barbanti-Brodano, Giuseppe A1 - Martini, Fernanda A1 - Tognon, Mauro G KW - Amino Acid Sequence KW - Antibodies, Viral KW - Capsid Proteins KW - Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay KW - Female KW - Humans KW - Male KW - Mesothelioma KW - Molecular Sequence Data KW - Pleural Neoplasms KW - Pregnancy KW - Simian virus 40 AB -

Human malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is considered a rare tumor, but recent estimations indicate that one-quarter million people will die of this neoplasm in Europe in the next three decades. The mineral asbestos is considered the main causative agent of this neoplasm. MPM is largely unresponsive to conventional chemotherapy/radiotherapy. In addition to asbestos exposure, genetic predisposition to asbestos carcinogenesis and to simian virus (SV)40 infection has also been suggested. SV40 is a DNA tumor virus found in some studies to be associated at high prevalence with MPM. SV40 sequences have also been detected, although at a lower prevalence than in MPM, in blood specimens from healthy donors. However, some studies have failed to reveal SV40 footprints in MPM and its association with this neoplasm. These conflicting results indicate the need for further investigations with new approaches. We report on the presence of antibodies in serum samples from patients affected by MPM that specifically react with two different SV40 mimotopes. The two SV40 peptides used in indirect ELISAs correspond to viral capsid proteins. ELISA with the two SV40 mimotopes gave overlapping results. Our data indicate that in serum samples from MPM-affected patients (n = 97), the prevalence of antibodies against SV40 viral capsid protein antigens is significantly higher (26%, P = 0.043) than in the control group (15%) represented by healthy subjects (n = 168) with the same median age (66 y) and sex. Our results suggest that SV40 is associated with a subset of MPM and circulates in humans.

VL - 109 IS - 44 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23071320?dopt=Abstract ER -