Epstein-Barr virus induces morphological and molecular changes in thyroid neoplastic cells

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Virology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) can be aggressive, with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) found in high loads.
• Viruses are implicated in various human cancers, prompting investigation into EBV's role in DTC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess EBV's capacity to induce morphological and molecular changes in human DTC cell lines.
• To analyze EBV's cytopathic effect (CPE), viral kinetics, and impact on oncogene expression (KRAS, NRAS, HRAS, TP53).

Main Methods:

• Viral adaptation and inoculation of TPC-1, BCPAP, and 8505C thyroid cancer cell lines.
• Analysis of EBV cytopathic effect (CPE), viral kinetics, and oncogene expression (KRAS, NRAS, HRAS, TP53).

Main Results:

• All tested DTC cell lines were permissive to EBV infection.
• EBV induced CPE in TPC-1 and 8505C cells but not BCPAP cells.
• EBV altered oncogene expression, including TP53 and NRAS, in BCPAP and 8505C cells.

Conclusions:

• Neoplastic thyroid cells are susceptible to EBV, which exhibits varied kinetics and CPE.
• EBV influences oncogene expression in DTC cell lines, potentially linking it to diverse tumor progression patterns.