Amtmann E, Volm M, Wayss K
Nature. 1984;308(5956):291-2. doi: 10.1038/308291a0.
Specific DNA sequences from human papillomavirus have recently been detected in carcinomas from epidermodysplasia verruciformis patients, and in vulvar and cervical carcinomas but the role of papilloma viruses in the aetiology of these tumours is unclear. Indeed, little is known about the mechanisms that convert benign papillomas into malignant tumours and it is not even possible in tumour induction. Here, we describe an animal system that permits an analysis of the interaction of papilloma virus genomes with carcinogenic agents at the molecular level. In our colony of Mastomys natalensis (a close relative of the rat family), we have found extrachromosomal papilloma virus genomes persisting in a variety of tissues such as skin, muscle, liver and colon. With the ageing of the animals, the average copy number of viral DNA in skin cells increases and virus-producing tumours begin to appear in Mastomys at about 1 year old. This process is drastically enhanced by chronic treatment with a tumour promoter and transcription of the viral genomes has been found to be correlated with tumour formation.
最近在疣状表皮发育不良患者的癌组织以及外阴癌和宫颈癌中检测到了来自人乳头瘤病毒的特定DNA序列，但乳头瘤病毒在这些肿瘤病因学中的作用尚不清楚。事实上，对于将良性乳头瘤转变为恶性肿瘤的机制知之甚少，甚至在肿瘤诱导方面也无法做到。在此，我们描述了一种动物系统，它能够在分子水平上分析乳头瘤病毒基因组与致癌剂之间的相互作用。在我们的南非多乳鼠（大鼠家族的近亲）群体中，我们发现染色体外乳头瘤病毒基因组存在于多种组织中，如皮肤、肌肉、肝脏和结肠。随着动物年龄的增长，皮肤细胞中病毒DNA的平均拷贝数增加，并且在大约1岁的南非多乳鼠中开始出现产生病毒的肿瘤。用肿瘤启动子进行慢性处理可极大地增强这一过程，并且已发现病毒基因组的转录与肿瘤形成相关。
