The role of Merkel cell polyomavirus and other human polyomaviruses in emerging hallmarks of cancer
Permanent lenke
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/8508Dato
2015-04-10Type
Journal articleTidsskriftartikkel
Peer reviewed
Sammendrag
Polyomaviruses are non-enveloped, dsDNA viruses that are common in mammals,
including humans. All polyomaviruses encode the large T-antigen and small t-antigen
proteins that share conserved functional domains, comprising binding motifs for the tumor
suppressors pRb and p53, and for protein phosphatase 2A, respectively. At present,
13 different human polyomaviruses are known, and for some of them their large T-antigen
and small t-antigen have been shown to possess oncogenic properties in cell culture and
animal models, while similar functions are assumed for the large T- and small t-antigen of
other human polyomaviruses. However, so far the Merkel cell polyomavirus seems to be the
only human polyomavirus associated with cancer. The large T- and small t-antigen exert
their tumorigenic effects through classical hallmarks of cancer: inhibiting tumor suppressors,
activating tumor promoters, preventing apoptosis, inducing angiogenesis and stimulating
metastasis. This review elaborates on the putative roles of human polyomaviruses in some
of the emerging hallmarks of cancer. The reciprocal interactions between human
polyomaviruses and the immune system response are discussed, a plausible role of
polyomavirus-encoded and polyomavirus-induced microRNA in cancer is described, and the
effect of polyomaviruses on energy homeostasis and exosomes is explored. Therapeutic
strategies against these emerging hallmarks of cancer are also suggested.