A Subset of Equine Gastric Squamous Cell Carcinomas Is Associated With Equus Caballus Papillomavirus

A Subset of Equine Gastric Squamous Cell Carcinomas Is Associated With Equus Caballus Papillomavirus–2 Infection

Published:2020-03-17 Issue:3 Volume:57 Page:427-431
ISSN:0300-9858
Container-title:Veterinary Pathology
language:en
Short-container-title:Vet Pathol

Author:

Alloway Elizabeth¹,Linder Keith¹,May Susan¹,Rose Trevor¹,DeLay Josepha²,Bender Susan³,Tucker Alison⁴,Luff Jennifer¹^ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

2. Animal Health Laboratory, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

3. Department of Pathobiology, New Bolton Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, PA, USA

4. Rollins Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Raleigh, NC, USA

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common neoplasm of the equine stomach. However, the mechanisms underlying malignant transformation are unknown. As Equus caballus papillomavirus–2 (EcPV-2) is a likely cause of some genital SCCs, we hypothesized that EcPV-2 is associated with a subset of equine gastric SCCs. To this aim, we performed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization (ISH) for EcPV-2 E6/ E7 oncogenes on 11 gastric SCCs and on gastric samples from 15 control horses with no SCC. PCR for EcPV-2 was positive in 7/11 (64%) gastric SCCs; non-SCC gastric samples were all negative. Intense hybridization signals for EcPV-2 E6/E7 nucleic acid were detected by ISH within tumor cells in 5/11 (45%) gastric SCCs, including distant metastases. No hybridization signals were detected within any of the non-SCC gastric cases. This study provides support for a potential association between EcPV-2 infection and a subset of equine gastric SCC.

Funder

Office of Research Infrastructure Programs, NIH

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Subject

General Veterinary

Link

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0300985820908797

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