XMRV was identified in samples isolated from prostate cancer tissues in 2006, but has since been shown to have arisen from the genetic recombination of two viral genomes carried in the germ-line DNA of mice. Here, Sfanos et al. chart the rise and fall of XMRV from its initial detection in 2006, via claims of its role in prostate cancer, to the 2011 report of its recombinant origin, and explain why they believe XMRV has no role in prostate cancer pathogenesis.
- Karen S. Sfanos
- Amanda L. Aloia
- Alan Rein
