P16 immunostaining of canine squamous cell carcinomas is not associated with papillomaviral DNA

While papillomavirus (PVs) are an established cause of human cancer, few reports have supported a relationship between PV and canine squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Human oncogenic PVs lead to an increased expression of the p16 tumor suppressor protein, and the latter can be demonstrated immunohistochemically to support a likely causal relationship between tumor and PV infection. In the present study, archive samples of canine SCC from different anatomical locations were tested by polymerase chain reaction for the presence of PV DNA and by p16 immunohistochemistry. The aims were to investigate the relationship between p16 expression and presence of PV DNA, in order to assess the utility of p16 overexpression as a biomarker of PV infection in canine SCC. A total of 52 SCCs were included. Nine cases (17.3%) showed moderate p16 immunoreactivity, with no association with tumor degree of differentiation, histotype or mitotic activity. The canPVf/FAP64 primers amplified Canis familiaris PV-1 DNA from 3 out of 52 tumors (5.8%), one cutaneous, one oral and one tonsillar SCC. There was no association between PV presence and p16 immunostaining. These results do not support a significant role of PVs in the development of canine SCCs. Additionally, PV infection was apparently not the cause of the p16 immunostaining observed in a subset of canine SCCs. A better awareness of p16 level of expression and cellular function in canine cancer may help to define its diagnostic and prognostic role.