Simian virus 40 and human tumors: It is time to study mechanisms

Our plain-English summary of Simian virus 40 and human tumors: It is time to study mechanisms, by M. Carbone (Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 1999).

The study

• Author: M. Carbone
• Journal: Journal of Cellular Biochemistry
• Published: 1999;76(2):189-93
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 37 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Several studies found simian virus 40 (SV40) in 47% to 83% of human mesotheliomas. Mesotheliomas are malignant tumors of the pleura and peritoneum, firmly associated with asbestos exposure. In this issue, Gazdar and colleagues ¿Shivapurkar et al., 1999 found that SV40 is present only in the malignant cells and not in the surrounding stromal cells. Using the microdissection technique, they found SV40 in 54% of 93 mesotheliomas of the epithelial type. The surrounding reactive stromal cells, (20 lung cancers and 14 mesotheliomas of the sarcomatoid/fibrous type) did not contain SV40, confirming the specificity of their positive findings. Furthermore, SV40 was found in 14% of 14 non-malignant reactive mesothelial cell proliferations. In 12 cases of mesothelioma a noninvasive (or in situ) component was also identified. In all four cases in which SV40 sequences were present in the invasive component, sequences were also present in the accompanying noninvasive component. These data suggest that the virus resides in the mesothelial cells prior to tumor development. The data address the remaining concerns raised at an International Meeting organized by the NIH, FDA, and CDC in 1997 to definitively associate SV40 with human mesothelioma. It is time now to investigate the pathogenic mechanisms of this association, and if SV40-infected mesothelial cells are more susceptible to other carcinogens, such as asbestos. Furthermore, we must investigate the interaction between the host immune system and SV40-infected mesothelial cells, and study if the immunosuppressive activity of asbestos interferes with tumor rejection. These studies should lead to a better understanding of mesothelioma pathogenesis, and possibly to new therapeutic approaches aimed at interfering with the expression of the SV40 genome and/or at eliciting a strong immune response against SV40 infected mesothelial cells.

Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

In plain English

This article was a short commentary, not an original study. The author discussed a companion paper in the same journal issue by Gazdar and colleagues (Shivapurkar et al., 1999), which tested mesotheliomas for simian virus 40 (SV40). SV40 had reached people through contaminated polio vaccines from 1955 until 1963. As reported here, that study found SV40 in 54% of 93 epithelial-type mesotheliomas and in 14% of 14 non-malignant reactive mesothelial cell proliferations, a difference described as significant. Using microdissection, it found SV40 in the malignant cells but not in surrounding stromal cells. Twenty lung cancers and 14 sarcomatoid/fibrous mesotheliomas did not contain SV40. Of 12 mesotheliomas that also had a noninvasive (in situ) component, four had SV40 in the invasive part, and in all four the noninvasive part had it too. The author read these data as suggesting the virus is in mesothelial cells before a tumor develops. The author argued that research should now ask whether SV40-infected cells are more susceptible to asbestos, and whether asbestos's immunosuppressive activity favors mesothelioma. The asbestos points were proposals, not findings.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Commentary ("Prospect" article) discussing a companion study in the same issue; no original data
• Who was studied: No subjects studied by the author. The discussed study (Shivapurkar et al., 1999) analyzed 118 mesotheliomas, 14 normal reactive pleural effusions and 20 lung cancers, including specimens from different parts of the world.
• Exposure: Simian virus 40 (SV40), which reached people through contaminated polio vaccines from 1955 until 1963. Asbestos was discussed only as a possible co-factor. No fiber types or exposure measurements were given.
• Main results:
  • In the discussed study (Shivapurkar et al.), SV40 was found in 54% of 93 epithelial-type mesotheliomas.
  • In the discussed study, SV40 was found in 14% of 14 non-malignant reactive mesothelial cell proliferations. The difference from epithelial-type mesotheliomas was described as significant (the printed p-value is garbled).
  • In the discussed study, SV40 was present only in malignant cells, not in surrounding stromal cells.
  • In the discussed study, 20 lung cancers and 14 sarcomatoid/fibrous-type mesotheliomas did not contain SV40.
  • In the discussed study, 12 mesotheliomas had a noninvasive (in situ) component. Among these 12, all four cases with SV40 in the invasive component also had SV40 in the noninvasive component.
  • Among specimens from one surgeon (H.I. Pass) in the discussed study, 1 of 20 lung specimens adjacent to mesothelioma contained SV40 sequences.
  • An earlier multilaboratory study (Testa et al., 1998), cited by the author, found 10 of 12 mesotheliomas (83%) positive for SV40.
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that the data suggest SV40 is present in mesothelial cells before tumor development and that SV40-positive individuals may have a higher risk of mesothelioma. The author called for research on the mechanisms, including whether SV40-infected mesothelial cells are more susceptible to asbestos.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: SV40, Mesothelioma, Pleura, Peritoneum, Asbestos Exposure, Lung Cancer, Sarcomatoid, Mesothelial Cells.

Related studies

• Simian virus 40, poliovaccines and human tumors: a review of recent developments — M. Carbone, P. Rizzo, et al. (1997)
• Human mesotheliomas contain the simian virus-40 regulatory region and large tumor antigen DNA sequences — H.I. Pass, J.S. Donington, et al. (1998)
• Human T cell responses to endogenously presented HLA-A*0201 restricted peptides of Simian virus 40 large T antigen — M.P. Velders, M.F. Macedo, et al. (2001)
• Presence and expression of the simian virus-40 genome in human giant cell tumors of bone — G. Gamberi, M.S. Benassi, et al. (2000)
• Simian virus 40 transformation, malignant mesothelioma and brain tumors — F. Qi, M. Carbone, et al. (2011)
• Simian virus-40 large-T antigen binds p53 in human mesotheliomas — M. Carbone, P. Rizzo, et al. (1997)

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