Objective: To investigate the effects of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) on the proliferation of duct epithelial cells of human salivary gland (HSG).
Methods: The expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and p53 were studied in 11 cases of parotid cytomegalic inclusive disease (PCID) using immunohistochemical staining method. The effects of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) on the proliferation of HSG were investigated by MTT method in vitro. The expression of PCNA in HSG infected by HCMV was examined using immunocytochemical staining and Western blotting.
Results: PCNA was expressed weakly in most of megalic inclusion cells which were positive for HCMV, while all the megalic inclusion cells were p53 negative in all 11 cases of PCID. HCMV inhibited proliferation of HSG in vitro in a time dependent and dose dependent manner. Down-regulation of PCNA was shown in infected cells.
Conclusion: HCMV inhibits proliferation of HSG and down-regulation of PCNA may be an expression of the inhibition.