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Identifying Dysregulated Genes Induced by Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus (KSHV)
Published on: September 14, 2010
Human herpesvirus 8: is it a tumor virus?
F Neipel1, J C Albrecht, B Fleckenstein
1Institut für Klinische und Molekulare Virologie, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.
Proceedings of the Association of American Physicians
|December 11, 1999
Summary
Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is essential for Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) development, with its DNA consistently found in KS lesions. Antibody studies suggest HHV-8 infection precedes KS, highlighting its role in pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Oncology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), or Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, was identified in 1994.
- Epidemiological data strongly associate HHV-8 with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS).
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the epidemiological evidence linking HHV-8 to KS.
- To explore potential mechanisms of HHV-8 pathogenesis in KS development.
Main Methods:
- Review of epidemiological data on HHV-8 and KS.
- Analysis of HHV-8 DNA detection in various tissues.
- Serological studies assessing HHV-8 antibody prevalence and seroconversion.
- Investigation of candidate oncogenes and viral cytokines in HHV-8 pathogenesis.
Main Results:
- HHV-8 DNA is invariably present in all forms of KS and primary effusion lymphomas.
- HHV-8 DNA is rarely found in non-KS-associated tumors.
- High HHV-8 antibody titers are concentrated in KS risk groups, and seroconversion precedes KS.
- Candidate oncogenes identified in transformation assays are not consistently expressed in latently infected tumor cells.
Conclusions:
- HHV-8 is a necessary factor for KS development.
- HHV-8 may contribute to KS pathogenesis through oncogenes and paraendocrine mechanisms involving viral cytokines.
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