Etiology of human breast cancer is unknown, whereas the Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (MMTV) is recognized as the etiologic agent of mouse mammary carcinoma. Moreover, this experimental model contributed substantially to our understanding of many biological aspects of the human disease. Several data strongly suggest a causative role of MMTV in humans, such as the presence of viral sequences in a high percentage of infiltrating breast carcinoma and in its preinvasive lesions, the production of viral particles in primary cultures of breast cancer, the ability of the virus to infect cells in culture. This paper demonstrates that MMTV is present in human saliva and salivary glands. MMTV presence was investigated by fluorescent PCR, RT-PCR, FISH, immunohistochemistry, and whole transcriptome analysis. Saliva was obtained from newborns, children, adults, and breast cancer patients. The saliva of newborns is MMTV-free, whereas MMTV is present in saliva of children (26.66%), healthy adults (10.60%), and breast cancer patients (57.14% as DNA and 33.9% as RNA). MMTV is also present in 8.10% of salivary glands. RNA-seq analysis performed on saliva of a breast cancer patient demonstrates a high expression of MMTV RNA in comparison to negative controls. The possibility of a contamination by murine DNA was excluded by murine mtDNA and IAP LTR PCR. These findings confirm the presence of MMTV in humans, strongly suggest saliva as route in inter-human infection, and support the hypothesis of a viral origin for human breast carcinoma.

Human saliva as route of inter-human infection for mouse mammary tumor virus

MAZZANTI, CHIARA MARIA;ARMOGIDA, IVANA;FRANCESCHI, SARA;BOLDRINI, ANTONIO;MARCHETTI, IVO;SCATENA, CRISTIAN;NACCARATO, ANTONIO GIUSEPPE;BEVILACQUA, GENEROSO
2015-01-01

Abstract

Etiology of human breast cancer is unknown, whereas the Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (MMTV) is recognized as the etiologic agent of mouse mammary carcinoma. Moreover, this experimental model contributed substantially to our understanding of many biological aspects of the human disease. Several data strongly suggest a causative role of MMTV in humans, such as the presence of viral sequences in a high percentage of infiltrating breast carcinoma and in its preinvasive lesions, the production of viral particles in primary cultures of breast cancer, the ability of the virus to infect cells in culture. This paper demonstrates that MMTV is present in human saliva and salivary glands. MMTV presence was investigated by fluorescent PCR, RT-PCR, FISH, immunohistochemistry, and whole transcriptome analysis. Saliva was obtained from newborns, children, adults, and breast cancer patients. The saliva of newborns is MMTV-free, whereas MMTV is present in saliva of children (26.66%), healthy adults (10.60%), and breast cancer patients (57.14% as DNA and 33.9% as RNA). MMTV is also present in 8.10% of salivary glands. RNA-seq analysis performed on saliva of a breast cancer patient demonstrates a high expression of MMTV RNA in comparison to negative controls. The possibility of a contamination by murine DNA was excluded by murine mtDNA and IAP LTR PCR. These findings confirm the presence of MMTV in humans, strongly suggest saliva as route in inter-human infection, and support the hypothesis of a viral origin for human breast carcinoma.
2015
Mazzanti, CHIARA MARIA; Lessi, Francesca; Armogida, Ivana; Zavaglia, Katia; Franceschi, Sara; Al Hamad, Mohammad; Roncella, Manuela; Ghilli, Matteo; Boldrini, Antonio; Aretini, Paolo; Fanelli, Giovanni; Marchetti, Ivo; Scatena, Cristian; Hochman, Jacob; Naccarato, ANTONIO GIUSEPPE; Bevilacqua, Generoso
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
MAZZANTI-NACC-ONCOTAR-2015[HUMAN-SALIVA].pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Versione finale editoriale
Licenza: Creative commons
Dimensione 1.55 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.55 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11568/776355
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 28
  • Scopus 43
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 43
social impact