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Comprehensive Analysis of Clinical and Molecular Features in Cancer Patients Associated With Major Human Oncoviruses.

Viral infections contribute to a higher incidence of cancer than any other individual risk factor. This study aimed to compare the clinical and molecular features of four viral-associated cancers: stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), and cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CESC). Patients were categorized based on viral infection status, as provided in the clinical data, into virus-associated and non-virus-associated groups, followed by a comprehensive comparison of clinical and molecular features. Our analysis disclosed that viral infections confer unique clinical and molecular signatures to their associated tumors. Specifically, human papillomavirus-associated (HPV+) HNSC and hepatitis B virus-associated (HBV+) LIHC patients were predominantly male, younger, and exhibited better clinical prognoses. Virus-associated tumors displayed enhanced immune microenvironments and high DNA damage response scores, while non-virus-associated tumors were enriched in stromal signatures. HPV+ HNSC and Epstein-Barr virus-associated (EBV+) STAD showed similarities across multi-omics features, including better responses to immunotherapy, lower TP53 mutation rates, tumor mutation burden (TMB), and copy number alteration (CNA). Conversely, HBV+, Hepatitis C virus-associated (HCV+) LIHCs and HPV+ CESC were more genomically unstable due to high TP53 mutation rates, TMB, and CNA. At the protein level, Caspase-7 and Syk were upregulated in HPV+ HNSC and EBV+ STAD, and positively correlated with the enrichment levels of CD8 + T cell, PD-L1, and cytolytic activity. Patient stratification based on infection status has significant clinical implications, particularly for patient prognosis and drug response.

Humans

Defective but tumorigenic: the evolutionary and functional roles of mutated oncoviruses.

Human oncogenic viruses contribute significantly to the global health burden and include seven types: Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis B virus, human T-cell leukemia virus type 1, human papillomavirus, hepatitis C virus, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, and Merkel cell polyomavirus. While the roles of latent or integrated viral genomes in cancer have been documented, emerging evidence highlights the contribution of defective viruses-those carrying intragenic deletions or loss-of-function mutations-in promoting viral oncogenesis. These altered genomes often lack genes essential for lytic replication or immune recognition, which enhances their persistence and immune evasion. In virus-associated diseases, specific patterns of gene retention and deletion suggest that host-driven selective pressures drive the emergence of these altered genomes. This review examines the generation, prevalence, and functional impact of these viruses, reframing them as active participants in disease development and progression. Recognizing their role offers new insights into viral tumor evolution and creates opportunities for applications in viral diagnostics and targeted intervention strategies.

Humans

Viral zoonosis and human cancer: a perspective.

Zoonotic viruses, which are pathogens naturally transmitted from animals to humans, pose a significant and evolving challenge to public health. Although most known zoonotic viruses do not exhibit the persistence typically necessary for viral oncogenesis, the potential cancer-causing effects of these infections remain unclear. Persistent infection, latency, or abortive replication within susceptible but non-permissive human cells may allow some animal-origin viruses to evade immune clearance, disrupt host cell signaling, and induce genomic instability-key features of cancer development. Evidence from both in vitro and in vivo studies indicates that certain animal viruses can enter human cells, integrate their genetic material, or express oncogenic proteins, even without completing full replication. These mechanisms resemble those of established human oncoviruses and suggest that, under specific host and environmental conditions, zoonotic viruses could contribute to neoplastic transformation. Given the increasing frequency of human-animal interactions through companionship, agriculture, wildlife trade, and food production, multidisciplinary research combining virology, oncology, and epidemiology is essential. Such efforts should focus on sensitive molecular detection, mechanistic studies, and population-based investigations to better understand the long-term cancer risks associated with zoonotic viral infections and to guide effective prevention strategies.

Cancer

Type-C oncovirus isolate from human leukemic bone marrow: further in vitro and in vivo characterization.

Rabbit corneal cells transformed by a putative human type-C helper virus pseudotype of the mouse sarcoma virus produce large amounts of transforming and non-transforming viruses. The virions are antigenically related to the woolly monkey (simian) sarcoma-leukemia type-C oncovirus. Typical sarcoma virus lesions developed in newborn rats injected with virus-producing rabbit cells. Cells producing only the putative type-C helper viruses as a result of exposure to a high dilution of transforming virus stock induce lymphosarcomas after inoculation into newborn rats.

Animals

Immunity to antigens associated with primate C-type oncoviruses in pregnant women.

Cell-mediated and humoral immune responses against antigens associated with primate C-type oncoviruses were evaluated in humans by microcytotoxicity and radioimmunoprecipitation assays. Five of six women tested sequentially during pregnancy developed selective cell-mediated reactivity against baboon endogenous virus (BEV)--infected human fibroblasts. Responsiveness peaked during the second and third trimesters and corresponded temporally with elevated antibody levels to BEV antigens. Similar cell-mediated reactivity was not observed in nonpregnant individuals. Selective cell-mediated reactivity directed against cells infected with the simian sarcoma virus-simian sarcoma associated virus complex (SSV--SSAV) was observed in four of 20 healthy adults (three of 14 nonpregnant, one of six pregnant). These observations suggest that cell-mediated reactivity against primate C-type oncoviruses is occasionally detected in healthy nonpregnant adults, but that during pregnancy both cell-mediated and humoral reactivity against BEV may become selectively expressed.

Animals

Culture of human cells obtained with DNA from chick Rous sarcoma.

An infectious process was reproduced in the culture of chick embryo cells by means of DNA isolated from Rous chick sarcoma tissue (Carr-Zilber strain). This DNA preparation displays biological activity also in the culture of human embryo diploid cells (HEDC) which is manifested in: 1. discontinuous synthesis of avian oncovirus group-specific antigen; 2. enhancement of proliferative activity and morphological transformation of human cells; 3. continuous presence of virus-specific sequences as revealed by DNA/RNA hybridization. Producing complete oncornavirus by means of DNA isolated from Rous chick sarcoma in HEDC was unsuccessful. DNA preparation from gs negative chick embryo cells shows no infectious activity in HEDC culture.

Antigens, Viral

NextVir: Enabling classification of tumor-causing viruses with genomic foundation models.

MOTIVATION: Oncoviruses, pathogens known to cause or increase the risk of cancer, include both common viruses such as human papillomaviruses and rarer pathogens such as human T-lymphotropic viruses. Computational methods for detecting viral DNA from data acquired by modern DNA sequencing technologies have enabled studies of the association between oncoviruses and cancers. Those studies are rendered particularly challenging when multiple species of oncovirus are present in a tumor sample. In such scenarios, merely detecting the presence of a sequencing read of viral origin is insufficiently informative-instead, a more precise characterization of the viral content in the sample is required. RESULTS: We address this need with NextVir, to our knowledge the first multi-class viral classification framework that adapts genomic foundation models to detecting and classifying sequencing reads of oncoviral origin. Specifically, NextVir explores several foundation models-DNABERT-S, Nucelotide Transformer, and HyenaDNA-and efficiently fine-tunes them to enable accurate identification of the sequencing reads' origin. The results demonstrate superior performance of the proposed framework over existing deep learning methods and suggest downstream potential for foundational models in genomics.

Humans

Isozymic forms of some energy metabolism enzymes during oncovirus-induced cell transformation.

Kinetic studies of changes in isozymic forms of hexokinase, lactate and malate dehydrogenase and in total hexokinase activity during viral carcinogenesis were carried out. The test systems were rat embryo fibroblasts infected with an oncogenic variant of human adenovirus type 12 and an infectious adenovirus type 6, intact REF cultures in different stages of growth (log and stationary phase), and hamster sarcoma A12 and rat reticulosarcoma 321-RRS cell cultures. Molecular isozymic forms of the stated enzymes and total hexokinase activity in the nuclear fraction and cytoplasm of cells in culture were investigated. It was shown that infectious and oncogenic viruses evoked a rearrangement in the spectrum of the energy metabolism enzymes in the nucleus and cytoplasm. The changes appeared in the first days of the contact of REF culture with the virus, and were more pronounced after the oncogenic rather than the infectious virus. The analysis of changes in isozymic forms of the enzymes under study in virus A12-infected REF cultures and in hamster sarcoma A12 and reticulosarcoma 321-RRS cells growing in vitro revealed that they had some features in common. The most pronounced changes were found with hexokinases. The changes described can serve as objective signs of cell transformation.

Adenoviruses, Human

[Viral oncogens and carcinogenesis].

The modern concepts of tumorigenic virus oncogenes are discussed. The available literature data on the identification of oncogenes of polyoma-, adeno- and oncoviruses and the corresponding protein the products of oncogenes, are reported. Under consideration is the idea of the cellular origin of virus oncogenes. It is suggested that the study of virus oncogenes would offer some new methodical approaches to the identification of cell genes, which impairment results in cell malignification.

Adenoviruses, Human

[Changes in lactate dehydrogenase isoforms in the process of oncogenesis].

Isoenzymes of lactate dehydrogenase were studied by disc-electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel, and in the clinic--in 1% agar gel. Oncovirus A12 invasion of the culture of rat embryo fibroblasts (REF) was found to result in the increased percentage of the cathode fractions activity (LDG-4 and LD-5) and in the disappearance of LDG-1 yet during the first day of the experiment prior to hypoxia and enhanced proliferation, i. e. it is most likely to be primary. In the homogenates of cancerous tumor and large intestine polyps of man also a reliable increase of the cathode and a decrease or disappearance of the anode fractions accur. A correlation of the experimental and clinical data allowed a suggestion to be made that LDG isoenzymes changes are genetically conditioned and play an important role in the process of oncogenesis, providing conditions for the increased intensity of glycolysis and proliferation.

Adenoviruses, Human

Nucleotide sequences in mouse DNA and RNA specific for Moloney sarcoma virus.

Complementary DNA (cDNA) synthesized by Moloney murine sarcoma virus (M-MSV) was separated into two parts, the first, termed MSV-specific cDNA, composed of nucleotide sequences found only in M-MSV viral RNA, and the second, termed MSV-MuLV common cDNA, composed of nucleotide sequences that were found in both M-MSV and murine leukemia virus (MuLV) VIRAL RNAs. RNA complementary to the MSV-specific cDNA was not found in several other MSV isolates, nor in ecotropic MuLV, mouse mammary tumor virus, or several murine xenotropic oncoviruses. Cellular DNA of several species was examined for the presence of nucleotide sequences complementary to MSV-specific cDNA. Cells transformed by M-MSV did contain MSV-specific cDNA in their DNA. Normal mouse cell DNA apparently contained the majority of MSV-specific nucleotide sequences. Cellular DNA of related species contained proportionally less MSV-specific cDNA. Hybrids of MSV-spedivic cDNA and cellular DNA of related species melted at lower temperatures than hybrids of MSV-specific cDNA and mouse cellular DNA. RNA from normal mouse adult or embryonic cells did not contain detectable nucleotide sequences complementary to MSV-specific cDNA. Transformation of cells with M-msv resulted in transcription of RNA hybridizing with MSV-specific cDNA. Methylcholanthrene-induced mouse sarcomas and cell lines derived from them did not contain RNA complementary to MSV-specific cDNA. Mouse cell lines transformed with avian sarcoma virus or Kirsten MSV-specific cDNA. RNA homologous to MSV-specific nucleotide sequences is measurably present only in cells transformed by M-MSV and not in cells transformed by other biological or chemical agents that also cause sarcomas.

Animals