Mouse mammary tumor viral env sequences are not present in the human genome but are present in breast tumors and normal breast tissues

Highlights

• Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is a milk transmitted beta retrovirus.

• MMTV is a form of single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus.

• A retrovirus inserts a copy of its genome into the DNA of a host cell, thus altering the cell's genome.

• In the current analysis, we searched for MMTV sequences within the human genome.

• We identified no MMTV envelope (env) sequence in the human genome.

• env sequences from breast tumors and normal breast tissue may have come from an MMTV infection.

• No one is certain how MMTV could infect human cells, since the cells do not have a MMTV cellular receptor.

Abstract

In 1936, John Joseph Bittner identified mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV), a milk transmitted beta retrovirus, a form of single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus. A retrovirus inserts a copy of its genome into the DNA of a host cell, thus altering the cell's genome. In the current analysis, we searched for MMTV sequences within the human genome. To compare the MMTV genome to the human genome, we used BLAT, the Blast-Like Alignment Tool of the UCSC Genome Browser. BLAT can align a user sequence of 25 bases or more to the genome. 60 MMTV sequences were in the human genome. Of 56 sequences from the MMTV POL gene, 36 POL sequences were from the same part of the gene, beginning at viral nucleotide 4800 but of different lengths. 8 viral sequences began at nucleotide ∼3430 of the POL gene. Four viral sequences were from GAGdUTPase, encoded by the MMTV PRO gene. Deoxyuridine 5′-triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase) is an enzyme present in several major retroviral families. In MMTV dUTPase may be essential for viral replication. Since BLAT identified no MMTV envelope (env) sequence in the human genome, the env sequences from breast tumors and normal breast tissue found in other studies may have come from an MMTV infection. However, no one is certain how MMTV could enter human cells, since the cells do not have a cellular receptor for MMTV, as do mouse cells.