Study Of Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus-like Gene Sequences In Breast Tumors Of Chinese Women

Purpose: There is a considerable evidence that the presence of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-like gene sequences in human breast cancer is highly associated with human breast carcinoma. Previous studies have found the presence of a 660~bp sequence that is 90-98% homologous to the env gene of MMTV in 38% of breast cancer tissue from United States women, in 42.2% from Australian women, and in 0.8% from Vietnamese women. It was reported that MMTV-like gene sequences were rarely found in normal tissues including breast, lymphocytes from breast cancer patients from all populations. The prevalence of these sequences in breast cancer tissue from Chinese women with breast cancer has never been reported. Experimental Design: Using nested PCR that amplify MMTV-like gene sequences, we tested breast cancer tissue from 20 Chinese women.Results: MMTV-like gene sequences were amplified in 2 of 20 (10%) breast cancer biopsy tissues from Chinese women. Conclusion: MMTV-like gene sequences can be found in breast cancer tissue from Chinese women with breast cancer. This supports the contention that these sequences represent a virus associated with human breast carcinogenesis. The differences in prevalence of MMTV-like gene sequences and breast cancer rates between populations may be related to geographic distribution of different mouse species.