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Cell-to-cell fusion as a link between viruses and cancer

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 7, pages 968–976 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

The ability to fuse cells is shared by many viruses, including common human pathogens and several endogenous viruses. Here we will discuss how cell fusion can link viruses to cancer, what types of cancers it can affect, how the existence of this link can be tested and how the hypotheses that we propose might affect the search for human oncogenic viruses. In particular, we will focus on the ability of cell fusion that is caused by viruses to induce chromosomal instability, a common affliction of cancer cells that has been thought to underlie the malignant properties of cancerous tumours.

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Figure 1: Viruses fuse cells by two mechanisms.
Figure 2: How cell fusion caused by viruses might relate to cancer initiation or progression — several conjectures.
Figure 3: How can one distinguish binuclear cells made by fusion rather than by failed cytokinesis?
Figure 4: How does cell fusion cause chromosomal instability?

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Acknowledgements

We thank our collaborators for their commitment and for discussions and we thank the Sondock family for financial support and for encouragement.

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  1. Dominik Duelli was at and Yuri Lazebnik is at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA.,

    Dominik Duelli & Yuri Lazebnik

  2. Dominik Duelli is now at the Department of Pathology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, Illinois 60064, USA.,

    Dominik Duelli

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  1. Dominik Duelli
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  2. Yuri Lazebnik
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Correspondence to Dominik Duelli or Yuri Lazebnik.

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Glossary

Aneuploidy

Any deviation from the exact multiple of the euploid number of chromosomes for the species. This includes a deviation in the number of whole chromosomes (numerical aneuploidy) and in parts of the chromosomes (segmental aneuploidy).

Cell hybrids

Mononuclear cells produced by mitosis of heterokaryons. The best-known example of cell hybrids are hybridomas.

Chromosomal instability

(CIN). An abnormally high frequency of chromosomal aberrations in a cell or cell population, such as chromosome losses, gains or translocations. Chromosomal instability leads to aneuploidy.

Heterokaryon

Multinuclear cells produced by fusion of different cells.

Osteoclasts

Syncytia whose function is to dissolve bone.

Syncytium

A cell produced by fusion that has more than a few nuclei.

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Duelli, D., Lazebnik, Y. Cell-to-cell fusion as a link between viruses and cancer. Nat Rev Cancer 7, 968–976 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc2272

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