       Document 0745
 DOCN  M9620745
 TI    Detection of mammary tumor virus env gene-like sequences in human breast
       cancer.
 DT    9602
 AU    Wang Y; Holland JF; Bleiweiss IJ; Melana S; Liu X; Pelisson I;
       Cantarella A; Stellrecht K; Mani S; Pogo BG; Department of Medicine,
       Mount Sinai School of Medicine, CUNY, New; York 10029, USA.
 SO    Cancer Res. 1995 Nov 15;55(22):5173-9. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/96062161
 AB    Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) has been related to human breast cancer
       (BC) in previous studies. Although suggestive sequence homology to MMTV
       has been described in BC DNA, the presence of human endogenous
       retroviruses (HERs) confounded these results. We have selected a 660-bp
       sequence of the MMTV env gene with very low homology to HER or to any
       other human or viral gene. We have searched for sequences homologous to
       it using the polymerase chain reaction. DNA was extracted from fresh or
       frozen tissues using primers and probes constructed to detect 660 bp;
       for paraffin-embedded tissues, we sought 250-bp sequences by similar
       methodology. The 660-bp sequence was detected in 121 (38.5%) of the 314
       unselected BC samples, in cultured BC cells, in 2 (6.9%) of 29 breast
       fibroadenomas and in 2 (1.8%) of 107 breast specimens from reduction
       mammoplastias. The sequence was not found in normal tissues including
       breast, lymphocytes from BC patients, nor in other human cancers or cell
       lines. The 250-bp sequence was detected in 60 (39.7%) of the 151 BCs,
       and in 1 of 27 normal breast samples assayed from paraffin-embedded
       sections. Cloning and sequencing of the 660 bp and 250 bp demonstrated
       that they are 95-99% homologous to MMTV env gene, but not to the known
       HERs nor to other viral or human genes (< 18%). Southern blot analysis
       using labeled cloned sequences showed that the 660-bp sequences were
       present in low copy number as a 7-8-kb EcoRI fragment only in breast
       cancer samples and two breast cancer cell lines that were positive by
       PCR. These data indicate that 38-40% of human breast cancers contain
       gene sequences homologous to the MMTV env gene that are absent from
       other tumors and tissues. These MMTV env gene-like sequences may play a
       role in the etiology of a large proportion of human breast cancer.
 DE    Base Sequence  Blotting, Southern  Breast Neoplasms/*VIROLOGY  Cloning,
       Molecular  DNA, Neoplasm/ANALYSIS  Female  *Genes, env  Human  Mammary
       Tumor Viruses, Mouse/*GENETICS  Molecular Sequence Data  Support,
       Non-U.S. Gov't  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

