RESUMEN
Xenotropic MLV-Related Virus (XMRV) was recently reported to be associated with prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Infection was also reported in 3.7% of healthy individuals. These highly reported frequencies of infection prompted concerns about the possibility of a new, widespread retroviral epidemic. The Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) provides an opportunity to assess the prevalence of XMRV infection and its association with HIV-1 infection among men who have sex with men. Reliable detection of XMRV infection requires the application of multiple diagnostic methods, including detection of human antibodies to XMRV and detection of XMRV nucleic acid. We, therefore, tested 332 patient plasma and PBMC samples obtained from recent visits in a subset of patients in the MACS cohort for XMRV antibodies using Abbott prototype ARCHITECT chemiluminescent immunoassays (CMIAs) and for XMRV RNA and proviral DNA using a XMRV single-copy qPCR assay (X-SCA). Although 9 of 332 (2.7%) samples showed low positive reactivity against a single antigen in the CMIA, none of these samples or matched controls were positive for plasma XMRV RNA or PBMC XMRV DNA by X-SCA. Thus, we found no evidence of XMRV infection among men in the MACS regardless of HIV-1 serostatus.
RESUMEN
Transforming growth factor beta s (TGF beta) are a family of multifunctional growth factors that are important embryonic morphogens. Because TGF beta s may regulate the development of epitheliochorial placentas, we investigated the location, expression, secretion, and effects of TGF beta s in bovine placentomes and cell cultures derived from chorionic and endometrial epithelia. Placentomes from early second-trimester pregnancies were examined by immunohistochemistry for TGF beta 1, TGF beta 2, and TGF beta 3, and for TGF beta expression in Northern slot-blots. Effects of TGF beta s were assessed in trophoblastic and endometrial epithelial cell lines by DNA synthesis assays. Secretion of TGF beta s by trophoblastic and endometrial epithelial cells was determined using bioassays. All forms of TGF beta were immunolocalized in bovine placentomes. TGF beta mRNA was expressed in chorioallantois, caruncles, and in cultured trophoblastic and endometrial epithelial cells. Endometrial and trophoblastic cells secreted active and latent TGF beta s, and these cells had a transient proliferative response to all forms of TGF beta. These results indicate that TGF beta s are present at the fetal-maternal interface of the bovine placentome and may promote endometrial and chorionic growth.
