Special Issue "Papillomavirus Associated Diseases in Different Species"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Equids".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Benedetta Passeri
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pathology Unit, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Strada del Taglio 10, 43126 Parma, Italy
Interests: papillomavirus; penile cancer; horse; tumor immune microenvironment; carcinoma; squamous cell; models; animal; squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx (sccl); epithelial to mesenchymal transition (emt); equine papillomavirus type 2 (ecpv2)
Dr. Elisabetta Razzuoli
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle D'Aosta, National Reference Center of Veterinary and Comparative Oncology (CEROVEC), Piazza Borgo Pila, 16129 Genova, Italy
Interests: cell cultures; innate immunity; inflammation; gene expression; cancer; toxicology; flow cytometri; molecular biology
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Federico Armando
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover), 30559 Hannover, Germany
Interests: cancer invasion and metastasis; epithelial to mesenchymal transition; viral oncolysis, equine genital squamous cell carcinomas
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Alessandro Ghelardi
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Azienda Usl Toscana Nord-Ovest, UOC Ostetricia e Ginecologia, Apuane Hospital, Massa, Italy
Interests: papillomavirus; gynecological cancer; infectious diseases; vaccines; surgery

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Papillomaviruses (PVs) seem to be one of the major causes of genital and perianal benign and malignant lesions and a significant fraction of several other malignancies arising from the mucosal squamous epithelia, including oropharynx and gastric mucosa in different species.

The long-term persistent infection, the integration of the viral DNA in the genome, and the constitutive expression of PVs oncoproteins cause the accumulation of various molecular changes in the infected cells leading to cancer development and progression. Although the viral clearance by the immune system is usually effective, some infections persist, inducing a broad spectrum of dysplastic changes that range from benign proliferations to premalignant lesions at risk of progression to cancer. Some genetic and epigenetic changes, as well as complex molecular networks, have yet been identified in PV-related cancers in different species, but a broad overview of the ongoing research is still lacking. Moreover, PVs are providing good models for vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) and continue to provide information applicable to HPV.

We welcome submissions of research and review articles on PVs characterization in different species, mechanisms that contribute to PVs-induced carcinogenesis to bring together expert opinions and new advances from across the field in a Special Issue of Animals. We welcome submissions that cover any relevant topic, including the role of oncoviral proteins in cell transformation, the gene mutational profile of viral and host interactions, immune response, clinical behaviour and development of related diseases and therapeutic opportunities including vaccines for PVs-related cancers.

Dr. Benedetta Passeri
Dr. Elisabetta Razzuoli
Dr. Alessandro Ghelardi
Dr. Federico Armando
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • papillomavirus
  • virology
  • domestic species
  • models
  • tumor immune microenvironment
  • neoplasia
  • oncogenic pathway
  • pathology

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
PD-L1/PD-1 and CTLA-4 Expression in Equine Penile Squamous Cell Carcinomas
Animals 2021, 11(7), 2121; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11072121 - 16 Jul 2021
Viewed by 967
Abstract
In horses, penile squamous cell carcinomas (epSCCs) are among the most common cutaneous neoplastic lesions. These tumors usually arise in benign lesions such as viral plaques and papillomas frequently induced by Equus caballus papillomavirus type 2 (EcPV2) infection. In the last decade, the [...] Read more.
In horses, penile squamous cell carcinomas (epSCCs) are among the most common cutaneous neoplastic lesions. These tumors usually arise in benign lesions such as viral plaques and papillomas frequently induced by Equus caballus papillomavirus type 2 (EcPV2) infection. In the last decade, the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for the treatment of human cancers has demonstrated promising results. Among the most commonly targeted pathways, there is PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and CTLA-4 in the tumor microenvironment of epSCCs to assess the feasibility of an immunotherapeutic approach. Twenty equine epithelial tumors were retrospectively selected and submitted to RT-qPCR for PD-1 and PD-L1 genes. After testing antibodies cross-reactivity by western blotting, immunohistochemistry for PD-L1 and CTLA-4 was performed. Results from RT-qPCR demonstrated that 3/20 cases expressed the PD-L1 gene, whereas the PD-1 gene was not detected. Immunohistochemical positivity for PD-L1 was found only in one case. CTLA-4-positive cells were observe in all cases but were few (Mdn = 4.8; IQR = 2.3–7.1 cells/HPF). In this study group, PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 do not appear to be highly expressed and therefore the use of ICI in epSCCs may not have promising rates of response. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Papillomavirus Associated Diseases in Different Species)
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