Journal
CANCER RESEARCH
Volume 75, Issue 6, Pages 1068-1079Publisher
AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH
DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-14-2425
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Funding
- U.S. Public Health Service [R01 CA63113, R01 CA173023, P01 CA050661, P01 CA022443]
- University of Wisconsin Investigative Dermatology Training Program [T32AR055893]
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases T32 Training Program [AI078985]
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Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is frequently associated with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a highly aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer. Most MCC tumors contain integrated copies of the viral genome with persistent expression of the MCPyV large T (LT) and small T (ST) antigen. MCPyV isolated from MCC typically contains wild-type ST but truncated forms of LT that retain the N-terminus but delete the C-terminus and render LT incapable of supporting virus replication. To determine the oncogenic activity of MCC tumor-derived T antigens in vivo, a conditional, tissue-specific mouse model was developed. Keratin 14-mediated Cre recombinase expression induced expression of MCPyV T antigens in stratified squamous epithelial cells and Merkel cells of the skin epidermis. Mice expressing MCPyV T antigens developed hyperplasia, hyperkeratosis, and acanthosis of the skin with additional abnormalities in whisker pads, footpads, and eyes. Nearly half of the mice also developed cutaneous papillomas. Evidence for neoplastic progression within stratified epithelia included increased cellular proliferation, unscheduled DNA synthesis, increased E2F-responsive genes levels, disrupted differentiation, and presence of a DNA damage response. These results indicate that MCPyV T antigens are tumorigenic in vivo, consistent with their suspected etiologic role in human cancer.
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