Abstract
BackgroundChronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the rarest adult leukemia in Japan, whereas it is the most common leukemia in the Western world. Recent studies from the United States and Germany suggest a possible etiological association between Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) and CLL, although no data have been reported from Eastern countries. To increase the volume of relevant data, this study investigated the prevalence and DNA loads of MCPyV and human polyomavirus 9 (HPyV9), another lymphotropic polyomavirus, in Japanese CLL cases.FindingsWe found that 9/27 CLL cases (33.3 %) were positive for MCPyV using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. The viral DNA loads ranged from 0.000017 to 0.0012 copies per cell. All cases were negative for HPyV9. One MCPyV-positive CLL case was evaluated by mutational analysis of the large T (LT) gene, which indicated the presence of wild-type MCPyV without a nucleotide deletion. DNA sequence analysis of the entire small T (ST) gene and the partial LT gene revealed that a Japanese MCPyV isolate, designated CLL-JK, had two nucleotide gaps when compared with the reference sequence of the North American isolate MCC350.ConclusionsThis study provides the first evidence that MCPyV is present in a subset of Japanese CLL cases with low viral DNA loads. MCPyV and HPyV9 are unlikely to contribute directly to the development of CLL in the majority of Japanese cases. MCPyV isolated from the Japanese CLL cases may constitute an Asian group and its pathogenicity needs to be clarified in future studies.
Highlights
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common form of adult leukemia in the Western countries, where its frequency is ca. 3–8 new cases per 100,000 persons per year [1,2,3]
This study provides the first evidence that Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is present in a subset of Japanese CLL cases with low viral DNA loads
MCPyV isolated from the Japanese CLL cases may constitute an Asian group and its pathogenicity needs to be clarified in future studies
Summary
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common form of adult leukemia in the Western countries, where its frequency is ca. 3–8 new cases per 100,000 persons per year [1,2,3]. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common form of adult leukemia in the Western countries, where its frequency is ca. The fifth polyomavirus, Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), was reported in 2008 by Feng et al [7]. MCPyV and HPyV9, with a close phylogenetic relationship to the African green monkey-derived lymphotropic polyomavirus, have the potential to infect lymphoid cells [8,9]. Recent studies from the United States and Germany suggest a possible etiological association between Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) and CLL, no data have been reported from Eastern countries. To increase the volume of relevant data, this study investigated the prevalence and DNA loads of MCPyV and human polyomavirus 9 (HPyV9), another lymphotropic polyomavirus, in Japanese CLL cases
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