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Viruses associated with human cancer

Margaret E McLaughlin-Drubin1, Karl Munger

  • 1The Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 8th Floor, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. mdrubin@rics.bwh.harvard.edu

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|January 19, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Viruses cause 15-20% of human cancers by hijacking cell pathways. Studying these oncogenic viruses reveals crucial cellular networks involved in cancer development and immune response.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Virology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Viral infections are linked to 15-20% of human cancers.
  • Viruses, as intracellular parasites, reprogram host cell signaling pathways controlling proliferation, differentiation, cell death, genomic integrity, and immune recognition.
  • Cellular processes are regulated by complex networks, with surveillance mechanisms removing aberrant cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how oncogenic viruses exploit cellular regulatory networks.
  • To understand the role of viral proteins in reprogramming host cells.
  • To utilize viral models for discovering key cancer-related cellular mechanisms.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of viral protein functions in host cell reprogramming.
  • Investigation of cellular signaling pathways targeted by viruses.
  • Comparative study of viral and non-viral cancer mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • Oncogenic viruses target cellular regulatory nodes with limited redundancy.
  • Viruses inactivate host surveillance mechanisms that detect abnormal cells.
  • Key proteins in viral-cancer networks are also mutated in non-viral cancers.

Conclusions:

  • Oncogenic viruses serve as critical models for identifying and studying cellular networks involved in cancer.
  • These studies have led to the discovery of oncogenes, tumor suppressors, and critical regulatory pathways.
  • Understanding viral oncogenesis enhances knowledge of fundamental cancer biology and immune surveillance.

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