Detected in pediatric and adult brain tumors, mesotheliomas, osteosarcomas, bronchopulmonary carcinomas, pituitary tumors, papillary thyroid carcinomas, leukemias and possibly non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas.
A Polyomavirus, double stranded DNA genome.
ERndogenous among rhesus monkeys, but is also widespread among humans.
Produces two proteins once inside the host associated with oncogenesis, large and small t antigens.
The large t antigen. Tag, is a 90 kD protein able the induce structural and numerical chromosomal abnormalities.
Tag induces IGF expression, can inhibit p53, and the pRB family and can stimulate cell proliferation.
Small t-antigen is a 17-KD protein found in cytoplasm of infected cells and it inhibits cellular phosphatase kinase and AP-1 activity.
Small tag t-antigen works with Tag to bind and inhibit p53 and pRB.
Small and large tag antigens combine to induce Notch-1 and telomerase activity required for malignant transformation.
Sequences of the virus present in 60% of mesotheliomas.