BACKGROUND Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) was recently shown to be age-dependent when using Sysmex XE-2100 hematology analyzers. As measuring RDW is subject to technology, we have investigated if this relation also exists when using a different hematology analyzer, Abbott CELL-DYN Sapphire. In addition, as RDW is generally expressed relative to mean red blood cell volume (MCV), we have...

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive and lethal type of neuroendocrine skin cancer. Mutated Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) is commonly found in MCC, and leads to upregulation of the survivin oncogene. However, ∼20% of MCC tumors do not have detectable MCV, suggesting alternative etiologies for this tumor type. In this study, our aim was to evaluate microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles a...

The dermatological disease Molluscum contagiosum (MC) presents as lesions restricted solely to the skin. The poxvirus Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) is responsible for this skin disease. There are four subtypes of MCV: MCV-1; MCV-2; MCV-3; and MCV-4. MCV-1 is the most commonly reported subtype found. The MCV MC159 protein belong to a family of proteins known as FLICE; FADD-like interleukin-1...

Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) causes an aggressive human skin cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, through expression of small T (sT) and large T (LT) viral oncoproteins. MCV sT is also required for efficient MCV DNA replication by the multifunctional MCV LT helicase protein. We find that LT is targeted for proteasomal degradation by the cellular SCF(Fbw7) E3 ligase, which can be inhibited by sT thr...

UNLABELLED Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) is a newly discovered human cancer virus encoding a small T (sT) oncoprotein. We performed MCV sT FLAG-affinity purification followed by mass spectroscopy (MS) analysis, which identified several protein phosphatases (PP), including PP2A A and C subunits and PP4C, as potential cellular interacting proteins. PP2A targeting is critical for the transforming...

Previous studies have shown that melanoma patients develop an im mune response to cell surface melanoma-associated antigens. The pres ence of this antibody response to cell surface antigens has been correlated with a better clinical outcome when melanoma patients are treated with an allogeneic melanoma cell vaccine (MCV) as an active immunotherapy protocol. It was hypothesized that the inabilit...

Koljonen et al described an association between chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV)– positive Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) in a recent large populationbased survey from Finland.1 CLL has been reported as a tumor significantly associated with MCC, validating the general findings of this study.2,3 This association suggests the possibility that MCV may play a role ...

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a neuroendocrine skin cancer associated with high mortality. Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV), discovered in 2008, is associated with ~80% of MCC. The MCV large tumor (LT) oncoprotein upregulates the cellular oncoprotein survivin through its conserved retinoblastoma protein-binding motif. We confirm here that YM155, a survivin suppressor, is cytotoxic to MCV-positiv...