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Viral Infections and Cancer: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives
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Viral Infections and Cancer: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2025 | Viewed by 6642

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Nabiha Yusuf

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Interests: interferons; cancer; innate immunity; adaptive immunity; skin; inflammation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Viral infections account for 15–20% of human cancers. They are the second most important cause of cancer and a matter of global concern. Viruses can target major cellular mechanisms and pathways in a direct or indirect manner to cause the development of cancer. The mechanism(s) by which viruses can cause cancer are complex and one or more viruses can contribute to the development of cancer. Viruses can cause cancer by alterations in protein expression, genomic modification, chronic inflammation and by causing immune suppression. Some commonly known examples of virus-induced cancers are cervical squamous cell carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma and Burkitt’s lymphoma. Studies on the role of viruses as a cause of cancer has led to the development of vaccines that can protect against oncogenic viral infections. This Special Issue is expanding the current knowledge on cancers caused by viral infections. Experimental studies on in vivo and in vitro models and review articles are all welcome for publication.

Dr. Nabiha Yusuf
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • virus
  • infection
  • cancer
  • immune response

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2088 KiB  
Article
Utility of an Archival Dried Blood Spot (DBS) Collection from HIV-Infected Individuals with and without Cancer in a Resource-Limited Setting
by Rongzhen Zhang, Paige M. Bracci, Alan Leong, Cassandra Rapp and Michael S. McGrath
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(19), 10235; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms251910235 - 24 Sep 2024
Viewed by 829
Abstract
The frequency of virus-associated cancers is growing worldwide, especially in resource-limited settings. One of the biggest challenges in cancer research among people living with HIV (PLWH) has been understanding how infection with both HIV and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) promotes the pathogenesis of [...] Read more.
The frequency of virus-associated cancers is growing worldwide, especially in resource-limited settings. One of the biggest challenges in cancer research among people living with HIV (PLWH) has been understanding how infection with both HIV and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) promotes the pathogenesis of Kaposi sarcoma (KS), the most common cancer among PLWH worldwide and a significant public health problem in regions with high prevalence of HIV such as Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR) provides samples for research, including dried blood spots (DBS) that were collected from large clinical epidemiology studies of KSHV and KS in PLWH conducted more than a decade ago in SSA. Here, we validated the quality of DNA derived from DBS samples from SSA studies and provided evidence of quantitative recovery of inflammatory cytokines using these DBS samples through comparison with paired frozen plasma. Significant differences in DNA, protein yields, and inflammatory biomarker levels were also observed between PLWH with/without KS. Establishing the fitness of DBS samples for studies of KS pathogenesis extends the number of projects that can be supported by these ACSR special collections and provides evidence that DBS collection for future KS research is a practical option in resource-limited settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viral Infections and Cancer: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives)
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14 pages, 6255 KiB  
Article
Oncolytic Activity of Sindbis Virus with the Help of GM-CSF in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
by Xiangwei Shi, Kangyixin Sun, Li Li, Jingwen Xian, Ping Wang, Fan Jia and Fuqiang Xu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(13), 7195; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25137195 - 29 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1214
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma is a refractory tumor with poor prognosis and high mortality. Many oncolytic viruses are currently being investigated for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Based on previous studies, we constructed a recombinant GM-CSF-carrying Sindbis virus, named SINV-GM-CSF, which contains a mutation (G [...] Read more.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is a refractory tumor with poor prognosis and high mortality. Many oncolytic viruses are currently being investigated for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Based on previous studies, we constructed a recombinant GM-CSF-carrying Sindbis virus, named SINV-GM-CSF, which contains a mutation (G to S) at amino acid 285 in the nsp1 protein of the viral vector. The potential of this mutated vector for liver cancer therapy was verified at the cellular level and in vivo, respectively, and the changes in the tumor microenvironment after treatment were also described. The results showed that the Sindbis virus could effectively infect hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines and induce cell death. Furthermore, the addition of GM-CSF enhanced the tumor-killing effect of the Sindbis virus and increased the number of immune cells in the intra-tumor microenvironment during the treatment. In particular, SINV-GM-CSF was able to efficiently kill tumors in a mouse tumor model of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating the elevation of M1-type macrophages (which have a tumor-resistant ability) and the decrease in M2-type macrophages (which have a tumor-promoting capacity). Overall, SINV-GM-CSF is an attractive vector platform with clinical potential for use as a safe and effective oncolytic virus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viral Infections and Cancer: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives)
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15 pages, 3157 KiB  
Article
Epstein–Barr Virus Promotes Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Stemness through the Warburg Effect
by Chukkris Heawchaiyaphum, Hironori Yoshiyama, Hisashi Iizasa, Ati Burassakarn, Zolzaya Tumurgan, Tipaya Ekalaksananan and Chamsai Pientong
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 14072; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241814072 - 14 Sep 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2001
Abstract
Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is associated with various human malignancies. An association between EBV infection and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has recently been reported. We established EBV-positive OSCC cells and demonstrated that EBV infection promoted OSCC progression. However, the mechanisms by which EBV [...] Read more.
Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is associated with various human malignancies. An association between EBV infection and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has recently been reported. We established EBV-positive OSCC cells and demonstrated that EBV infection promoted OSCC progression. However, the mechanisms by which EBV promotes OSCC progression remain poorly understood. Therefore, we performed metabolic analyses of EBV-positive OSCC cells and established a xenograft model to investigate the viral contribution to OSCC progression. Here, we demonstrated that EBV infection induced mitochondrial stress by reducing the number of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copies. Microarray data from EBV-positive OSCC cells showed altered expression of glycolysis-related genes, particularly the upregulation of key genes involved in the Warburg effect, including LDHA, GLUT1, and PDK1. Furthermore, lactate production and LDH activity were elevated in EBV-positive OSCC cells. EBV infection significantly upregulated the expression levels of cancer stem cell (CSC) markers such as CD44 and CD133 in the xenograft model. In this model, tumor growth was significantly increased in EBV-positive SCC25 cells compared with that in uninfected cells. Furthermore, tumorigenicity increased after serial passages of EBV-positive SCC25 tumors. This study revealed the oncogenic role of EBV in OSCC progression by inducing the Warburg effect and cancer stemness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viral Infections and Cancer: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives)
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12 pages, 639 KiB  
Article
Preferential Tissue Sites of Different Cancer-Risk Groups of Human Papillomaviruses
by Mitsuaki Okodo, Kaori Okayama, Toshiyuki Sasagawa, Koji Teruya, Rei Settsu, Shuichi Mizuno, Yasuyoshi Ishii and Mizue Oda
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(17), 13151; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241713151 - 24 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1361
Abstract
The oncogenic potential of human papillomavirus (HPV) may be used to determine the tissue tropism of each HPV type. Cervical cancer develops in the squamo-columar junction of the cervices, and most lesions are induced by high-risk (HR) HPV types. This suggests that HR [...] Read more.
The oncogenic potential of human papillomavirus (HPV) may be used to determine the tissue tropism of each HPV type. Cervical cancer develops in the squamo-columar junction of the cervices, and most lesions are induced by high-risk (HR) HPV types. This suggests that HR types preferentially infect the cervix, whereas the preferential infection site for low-risk (LR) types is not well defined. The determination of HPV tropism when using cytology samples can be uncertain since it is difficult to avoid contamination of cell samples between the cervix and the vagina. Herein, cell samples were carefully collected by independently scraping the cervix and vagina, after which the HPV types were determined. HPV tissue tropism was determined by considering what HPV types were positive at only one of the sites (the cervix or the vagina) as the viruses that preferentially infected that site. This method revealed that all LR types were only identified in vaginal samples, whereas 87% of HR types were identified in cervical sites. Thus, LR types may preferentially infect the vagina, whereas HR types infect the cervix. These findings suggest that preferential tissue tropism of certain HPV types is a probable factor for malignant progression. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viral Infections and Cancer: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives)
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