TY - JOUR
T1 - Detection of Merkel cell polyomavirus in chronic lymphocytic leukemia T-cells
AU - Cimino, Patrick J.
AU - Bahler, David W.
AU - Duncavage, Eric J.
PY - 2013/2
Y1 - 2013/2
N2 - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small cell lymphoma (CLL/SLL) is the most common B-cell leukemia/lymphoma, effecting > 15,000 patients/year. There has been a proposed limited antigenic etiology, at least in some cases, of CLL/SLL based upon immunoglobulin heavy chain stereotypy found across unrelated cases, suggesting viral source may provide such antigenic stimulation. With an established epidemiological link between CLL/SLL and Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), there has been some interest in investigating a possible leukemogenic role of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), which is found in 80% of MCC cases. Recent studies have shown that MCPyV is present in lymphocytes in a small percentage of CLL/SLL cases, but the specific tropism for lymphocytes has not been well-established. In this study, we used quantitative PCR to investigate the presence of MCPyV in fluorescence activated cell sorted purified B- and T-cells from 23 CLL/SLL cases. Three of 23 cases (13%) had detectable MCPyV in T-cells, and none of the cases had detectable MCPyV in B-cells. These findings suggest that MCPyV may have tropism for T-cells in addition to previously reported neoplastic B-cells.
AB - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small cell lymphoma (CLL/SLL) is the most common B-cell leukemia/lymphoma, effecting > 15,000 patients/year. There has been a proposed limited antigenic etiology, at least in some cases, of CLL/SLL based upon immunoglobulin heavy chain stereotypy found across unrelated cases, suggesting viral source may provide such antigenic stimulation. With an established epidemiological link between CLL/SLL and Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), there has been some interest in investigating a possible leukemogenic role of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), which is found in 80% of MCC cases. Recent studies have shown that MCPyV is present in lymphocytes in a small percentage of CLL/SLL cases, but the specific tropism for lymphocytes has not been well-established. In this study, we used quantitative PCR to investigate the presence of MCPyV in fluorescence activated cell sorted purified B- and T-cells from 23 CLL/SLL cases. Three of 23 cases (13%) had detectable MCPyV in T-cells, and none of the cases had detectable MCPyV in B-cells. These findings suggest that MCPyV may have tropism for T-cells in addition to previously reported neoplastic B-cells.
KW - CLL
KW - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
KW - Merkel cell
KW - Polyomavirus
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84870874981&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.yexmp.2012.09.019
DO - 10.1016/j.yexmp.2012.09.019
M3 - Article
C2 - 23026399
AN - SCOPUS:84870874981
SN - 0014-4800
VL - 94
SP - 40
EP - 44
JO - Experimental and Molecular Pathology
JF - Experimental and Molecular Pathology
IS - 1
ER -