The Significance of Retroviruses in Oncology

Retroviruses first attracted attention as the etiological agents of tumors in various animals, including birds, rodents and primates. The retrovirus-induced tumors comprise above all T- and B-cell leukemias/lymphomas, chronic myelogenous leukemia and mammary carcinomas, and are characterized by a long latent period between infection and manifestation of the disease. Since their detection, oncogenic retroviruses have been the object of intense study contributing to our knowledge of basic mechanisms and molecular events involved in carcinogenesis in general. An essential step in the retrovirus life cycle is the covalent integration of the double-stranded DNA copy of viral RNA into the cellular genome, forming the provirus. The proviruses are quite stable and are generally a permanent acquisition for the cellular genome. Therefore, the presence of the provirus can have profound genetic implications for the host cell. There are at least three main routes that are assumed to lead to retroviral oncogenesis: Transduction of cell-derived oncogenes (v-onc) carried by some retroviruses, activation of cellular proto-oncogenes (c-onc) in cis by insertional mutation or activation of cellular genes in trans by virus encoded transcription factors.