Abstract
The hamster polyomavirus (HaPV) was originally described in 1967 by Graffi et al. as a virus associated with skin epithelioma of the Syrian hamster.(1–4) The tumors appear spontaneously in animals at about 3 months to more than 1 year of age in a laboratory colony bred in Berlin Buch, Germany (HaB). Virus-particles identified in cell extracts prepared from skin epitheliomas cause lymphoma and leukemia when injected into newborn hamsters from a distinct and practically tumor-free colony bred in Potsdam, Germany (HaP). In contrast to the skin epithelioma, the hematopoietic tumors are virus-free but accumulate large numbers of nonran-domly deleted extrachromosomal viral DNA. Although HaPV interaction with keratinized cells may be reminiscent of the papillomavirus life cycle, the recent characterization of the viral genome classifies it as a polyomavirus. However, the HaPV tumor spectrum, which reflects the capacity of the virus to infect both undifferentiated keratinocytes and lymphocytes, is unique within the papovavirus family and raises interesting questions concerning the expression and interaction of viral oncogenes in different cellular contexts (Fig. 1). It should be emphasized that the HaPV described in the review may not be a singular isolate: a closely related virus has been described as the etiological agent of Syrian hamster skin epithelioma in Alabama.(5)
Published Version
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