An overview: Human polyomavirus JC virus and its associated disorders

JC virus (JCV) is a polyomavirus infecting greater than 80% of the human population early in life. Replication of this virus in oligodendrocytes and astrocytes results in the fatal demyelinating disease progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in immunocompromised individuals, most notably acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. Moreover, recent studies have pointed to the association of JCV with a variety of brain tumors, including medulloblastoma. The JCV genome encodes for viral early protein, including large and small T antigens and the newly discovered isoform T′, at the early phase of infection and the structural proteins VP1, VP2, and VP3 at the late stage of the lytic cycle. In addition, the late gene is responsible for the production of a small nonstructural protein, agnoprotein, whose function is not fully understood. Here, we have summarized some aspects of the JCV genome structure and function, and its associated diseases, including PML and brain tumors.