Prokineticins and Merkel cell polyomavirus infection in Merkel cell carcinoma.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Prokineticin-1 (PROK1) and prokineticin-2 (PROK2) are chemokine-like proteins that may influence cancer growth by regulating host defence and angiogenesis. Their significance in viral infection-associated cancer is incompletely understood. We studied prokineticins in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a skin cancer linked with Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) infection.

Methods

Carcinoma cell expression of PROK1 and PROK2 and their receptors (PROKR1 and PROKR2) was investigated with immunohistochemistry, and tumour PROK1 and PROK2 mRNA content with quantitative PCR from 98 MCCs. Subsets of tumour infiltrating leukocytes were identified using immunohistochemistry.

Results

Merkel cell polyomavirus-positive MCCs had higher than the median PROK2 mRNA content, whereas

SUBMITTER: Lauttia S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3960603 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature