Moreover, some human malignant mesotheliomas contain and express simian virus 40 DNA and proteins.

Results: All simian virus 40 T antigen-positive control eyes contained large tumor foci throughout the retina.

Compared with other cell types, human mesothelial cells are unusually susceptible to simian virus 40-induced malignant transformation.

We used sodium bisulfite mutagenesis to introduce point mutations within the early region of the simian virus 40 genome.

The presence of simian virus 40 in malignant mesothelioma has been associated with the activation of specific oncogene pathways.

However, by the conjugation of simian virus 40 large-T-antigen-derived nuclear localization signal to mi-MITF, the dominant negative effect was enhanced.

Only 10 to 20% of this fraction bound to simian virus 40 DNA.

Methods: Eighty simian virus 40 T antigen-positive mice were treated at age 5 or 10 weeks.

The assembly of the complex that forms over the simian virus 40 origin to initiate DNA replication is not well understood.

Epidemiological data possibly linking simian virus 40 and malignant mesothelioma is lacking owing to unattainable identification of infected from noninfected cohorts.

The evidence in favor and against a pathogenic role of simian virus 40 in malignant mesothelioma is discussed in this review.

One activity was mediated by a promoter element within simian virus 40 nucleotides 200 to 270.

Arrest can be prevented by expression of simian virus 40 T antigen, which binds to underphosphorylated RB, presumably blocking its growth-suppressive activity.

How did a simian virus infect humans and is the virus a passenger in tumours or is it important in their pathogenesis?

An increasing number of scientific reports have described evidence for a polyomavirus, simian virus 40, in a highly select group of human tumours.

Cocarcinogenesis between simian virus 40 and asbestos in causing malignant mesotheliomas has been demonstrated in three separate research laboratories using different experimental approaches.