Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 17, 2026
Characterization of Functionally Associated miRNAs in Glioblastoma and their Engineering into Artificial Clusters for Gene Therapy
Published on: October 4, 2019
Human Cytomegalovirus DNA Quantification and Gene Expression in Gliomas of Different Grades
Lucas Matheus Stangherlin1, Fabiane Lucy Ferreira Castro1, Raphael Salles Scortegagna Medeiros2
1Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Patógenos, Virologia Molecular, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Paulo, Brazil.
Abstract:
Gliomas are the most common type of primary brain tumors. The most aggressive type, Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the deadliest human diseases, with an average survival at diagnosis of about 1 year. Previous evidence suggests a link between human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and gliomas. HCMV has been shown to be present in these tumors and several viral proteins can have oncogenic properties in glioma cells. Here we have investigated the presence of HCMV DNA, RNA and proteins in fifty-two gliomas of different grades of malignancy. The UL83 viral region, the early beta 2.7 RNA and viral protein were detected in 73%, 36% and 57% by qPCR, ISH and IHC, respectively. Positivity of the viral targets and viral load was independent of tumor type or grade suggesting no correlation between viral presence and tumor progression. Our results demonstrate high prevalence of the virus in gliomas from Brazilian patients, contributing to a better understanding of the association between HCMV infection and gliomas worldwide and supporting further investigations of the virus oncomodulatory properties.
