Molecular Identification of the Gag and Tax Gene of Bovine Leukemia Virus (BLV) in Women with Breast Cancer

Hassan Vahidi Emami; Arash Ghalyanchi Langeroudi; Seyed Masoud Hosseini; Hamideh Najafi; Zahra Ziafati Kafi; Soroush Sarmadi

doi:10.18502/jzms.v6i4.15485

Hassan Vahidi Emami PhD Candidate, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Arash Ghalyanchi Langeroudi Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Seyed Masoud Hosseini Professor, Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Hamideh Najafi Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Zahra Ziafati Kafi PhD, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Soroush Sarmadi PhD Candidate, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jzms.v6i4.15485

Keywords: Bovine leukemia virus (BLV); Human breast cancer; Nested PCR technique

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world particularly among Iranian women. Although the mortality rate decreased in developed countries, there were increased changes in breast cancer incidences. The study aimed at evaluating the correlation between BLV infection and breast cancer in Iran.

Methods: In the cross-sectional study, a total of 85 breast cancer tissue samples and adjacent tumor samples (normal tissue) were collected during the year 2022 from women referred to general hospitals in Qom Province, Iran. The nested PCR technique was performed to determine the presence of tax and gag genes of BLV in the collected samples. To confirm the presence of the tax gene of BLV, PCR products of some BLV-positive samples were subjected to direct sequencing.

Results: Based on nested PCR technique, tax and gag genes of BLV were detected in 12.9% (11.85) and 3.4% (3.85) of breast cancer tissue samples, respectively. Also, the tax gene was present in 4.7% of the control samples, but the presence of the gag gene was not observed. Most malignant samples of BLV were III grade. The constructed phylogenetic trees for the tax gene of BLV showed most BLV isolates had similar sequences to Iranian isolates.

Conclusion: The results of the study by using nested PCR technique, demonstrate a possible relationship between human breast cancer and bovine leukemia virus infection in women of Iran. BLV is one of the main risk factors for breast cancer.