Human murine mammary tumour virus-like agents are genetically distinct from endogenous retroviruses and are not detectable in breast cancer cell lines or biopsies

TY - JOUR

T1 - Human murine mammary tumour virus-like agents are genetically distinct from endogenous retroviruses and are not detectable in breast cancer cell lines or biopsies

AU - Mant, Christine

AU - Gillett, Cheryl

AU - D'Arrigo, Corrado

AU - Cason, John

PY - 2004/1/5

Y1 - 2004/1/5

N2 - It has been reported that a human murine mammary tumour virus (MMTV)-like virus (HMLV), which may be an endogenous human retrovirus (HERV), occurs in the human breast cancer cell lines T47D and MCF-7 and, in 38% of human breast cancer biopsies. As the aetiology of most breast cancers remains unknown, it is important to verify these observations in differing breast cancer populations worldwide. Thus, we sought to determine the genetic relationships between HMLVs, MMTVs, and HERVs, and to investigate the association between HMLVs and breast cancer biopsies from South London, UK. Phylogenetic analyses of the env/pol region indicated that HMLVs are indistinct from MMTVs, and that MMTVS/HMLVs exhibit only low sequence homologies with HERVs. A search of the human genome confirmed that HMLVs are not endogenous. Using MMTV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers described previously, we amplified DNA from all cell lines except MCF-7 and from 7 of 44 (16%) breast cancer biopsies. A restriction fragment length polymorphism assay was designed to distinguish between HMLVs and MMTVs, and upon analyses, PCR amplicons appeared to be HMLVs. To confirm these findings, amplicons from the T47D cell line and from four randomly selected breast cancer patients were sequenced. Of 106 DNA sequences obtained, 103 were homologous with a short ann of human chromosome (Chr) 3 (3p13), two with Chromosome 4. and one with Chromosome 8. None of the sequences exhibited significant nucleotide homology with MMTVs, HMLVs, or with HERVs (all

AB - It has been reported that a human murine mammary tumour virus (MMTV)-like virus (HMLV), which may be an endogenous human retrovirus (HERV), occurs in the human breast cancer cell lines T47D and MCF-7 and, in 38% of human breast cancer biopsies. As the aetiology of most breast cancers remains unknown, it is important to verify these observations in differing breast cancer populations worldwide. Thus, we sought to determine the genetic relationships between HMLVs, MMTVs, and HERVs, and to investigate the association between HMLVs and breast cancer biopsies from South London, UK. Phylogenetic analyses of the env/pol region indicated that HMLVs are indistinct from MMTVs, and that MMTVS/HMLVs exhibit only low sequence homologies with HERVs. A search of the human genome confirmed that HMLVs are not endogenous. Using MMTV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers described previously, we amplified DNA from all cell lines except MCF-7 and from 7 of 44 (16%) breast cancer biopsies. A restriction fragment length polymorphism assay was designed to distinguish between HMLVs and MMTVs, and upon analyses, PCR amplicons appeared to be HMLVs. To confirm these findings, amplicons from the T47D cell line and from four randomly selected breast cancer patients were sequenced. Of 106 DNA sequences obtained, 103 were homologous with a short ann of human chromosome (Chr) 3 (3p13), two with Chromosome 4. and one with Chromosome 8. None of the sequences exhibited significant nucleotide homology with MMTVs, HMLVs, or with HERVs (all

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Aged, 80 and over

KW - Animals

KW - Biopsy

KW - Breast Neoplasms/virology

KW - Cell Line, Tumor

KW - Endogenous Retroviruses/classification

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse/classification

KW - Mice

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Molecular Sequence Data

KW - Phylogeny

KW - Polymerase Chain Reaction

KW - Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length

KW - Sequence Analysis, DNA

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=1242296979&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.virol.2003.09.027

DO - 10.1016/j.virol.2003.09.027

M3 - Article

C2 - 14972564

VL - 318

SP - 393

EP - 404

JO - Virology

JF - Virology

IS - 1

ER -