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Merkel Cell Polyomavirus

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Book cover Cancer Associated Viruses

Part of the book series: Current Cancer Research ((CUCR))

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Abstract

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is the most aggressive tumor of the skin. Nevertheless, until recently, almost only dermatologists were aware of MCC which was due to the rareness of this neuroendocrine carcinoma. This, however, changed in 2008 when a new polyomavirus, which was named Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV or MCPyV), was found associated with MCC. Indeed, meanwhile many groups have confirmed the presence of MCV in about 80% of MCC cases. Moreover, clonal integration pattern and oncogenic addiction toward T antigen expression in MCV-positive MCC cell lines further implicate MCV as an etiologic factor for MCC. In this chapter, we summarize the current knowledge of MCV biology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General Dermatology, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 8, A-8036, Graz, Austria

    David Schrama & Jürgen C. Becker

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  1. David Schrama
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  2. Jürgen C. Becker
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Correspondence to Jürgen C. Becker .

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  1. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Hamilton Walk 3610, Philadelphia, 19104, Pennsylvania, USA

    Erle S. Robertson

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Schrama, D., Becker, J.C. (2012). Merkel Cell Polyomavirus. In: Robertson, E. (eds) Cancer Associated Viruses. Current Cancer Research. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0016-5_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0016-5_18

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