Full Title: Nucleic Acid, Antibody, and Virus Culture Methods to Detect Xenotropic MLV-Related Virus in Human Blood Samples.
Authors: Kearney MF, Lee K, Bagni RK, Wiegand A, Spindler J, Maldarelli F, Pinto PA, Linehan WM, Vocke CD, Delviks-Frankenberry KA, Devere White RW, Del Prete GQ, Mellors JW, Lifson JD, Kewalramani VN, Pathak VK, Coffin JM, Le Grice SF.
Publication: Advances in Virology
Publication Date: 17th November 2011
HIV Drug Resistance Program, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702-1201, USA.
Abstract
The MLV-related retrovirus, XMRV, was recently identified and reported to be associated with both prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome. At the National Cancer Institute-Frederick, MD (NCI-Frederick), we developed highly sensitive methods to detect XMRV nucleic acids, antibodies, and replication competent virus. Analysis of XMRV-spiked samples and/or specimens from two pigtail macaques experimentally inoculated with 22Rv1 cell-derived XMRV confirmed the ability of the assays used to detect XMRV RNA and DNA, and culture isolatable virus when present, along with XMRV reactive antibody responses. Using these assays, we did not detect evidence of XMRV in blood samples (N = 134) or prostate specimens (N = 19) from two independent cohorts of patients with prostate cancer. Previous studies detected XMRV in prostate tissues. In the present study, we primarily investigated the levels of XMRV in blood plasma samples collected from patients with prostate cancer. These results demonstrate that while XMRV-related assays developed at the NCI-Frederick can readily measure XMRV nucleic acids, antibodies, and replication competent virus, no evidence of XMRV was found in the blood of patients with prostate cancer.
PMID: 22312339
View the abstract in PubMed.
