Project description:Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is the first human polyomavirus etiologically associated with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer. Similar to other polyomaviruses, MCPyV encodes early T antigen genes, a viral oncogene required for MCC tumor growth. To identify the unique oncogenic properties of MCPyV, we analysed the gene expression profiles in human spontaneously immortalized keratinocytes (NIKs) expressing the early genes from five distinct human polyomaviruses (PyVs), including MCPyV. A comparison of the gene expression profiles revealed 28 genes specifically deregulated by MCPyV.
Project description:To determine if MCPyV ST was recruited to chromatin together with MAX and the TRRAP complex, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) using the validated antibodies to MCPyV ST produced in our lab, HA tagged ST, MAX and EP400 followed by next generation sequencing. De novo DNA motif analysis revealed that the canonical E-box MYC target sequence was the most frequently observed motif. Metagene analysis revealed that antibodies to MAX, EP400, ST (Ab5) and HA tagged ST showed strong enrichment in transcription start site (TSS). H3K4me3 ChIP-seq confirmed that the peaks enriched with antibodies to MAX, EP400 and ST all centered on the H3K4me3 peaks with a high degree of overlap.