SHORT REPORT

Immunodetection of SV40 large T antigen in human central nervous system tumours

J Sabatier¹, E Uro-Coste³, A Benouaich², S Boetto¹, M Gigaud¹, M Tremoulet¹, M-B Delisle³, F Galateau-Sallé⁴, P Brousset⁵

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, Purpan Hospital, Place Baylac, 31059 Toulouse Cedex, France
² Department of Neurology, Purpan Hospital
³ Department of Pathology, Rangueil Hospital, 31059 Toulouse, Cedex 9, France
⁴ Department of Pathology, CHU Caen, 14000 Caen, France
⁵ Department of Pathology, Purpan Hospital and INSERM U563 (CPTP), CHU Purpan, Toulouse, France

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr P Brousset
Department of Pathology, Purpan Hospital, Place Baylac, 31059 Toulouse Cedex, France; brousset.p{at}chu-toulouse.fr

Background/Aims: DNA sequences from Simian virus 40 (SV40) have been previously isolated from various human tumours of the central nervous system (CNS). This study aimed to investigate a series of tumours of the CNS for the expression of the SV40 large T antigen (Tag), which is an oncogenic protein of the virus.

Methods: A French series of 82 CNS tumours was investigated for Tag expression using a monoclonal antibody and immunohistochemistry. A Tag positive hepatocellular carcinoma cell line from transgenic mice and a kidney biopsy from a patient infected by SV40 were used as positive controls.

Results: None of the tumours (20 ependymomas, 20 glioblastomas, 12 oligodendrogliomas, three plexus choroid adenomas, two plexus choroid carcinomas, 15 meningiomas, and 10 medulloblastomas) contained SV40 Tag positive cells.

Conclusions: The lack of SV40 Tag in 82 CNS tumours of various types is at variance with previous studies from different countries, and suggests that the virus may not be an important factor in CNS tumorigenesis, at least in French cases.

Abbreviations: CNS, central nervous system; CSA, catalysed system amplification; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; SV40, Simian virus 40; Tag, Simian virus 40 large T antigen

Keywords: SV40; T antigen; central nervous system; immunohistochemistry; tumours

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