| First Author | Ballon G | Year | 2011 |
| Journal | J Clin Invest | Volume | 121 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 1141-53 |
| PubMed ID | 21339646 | Mgi Jnum | J:172031 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5002787 | Doi | 10.1172/JCI44417 |
| Citation | Ballon G, et al. (2011) Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) vFLIP oncoprotein induces B cell transdifferentiation and tumorigenesis in mice. J Clin Invest 121(3):1141-53 |
| abstractText | Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) is specifically associated with Kaposi sarcoma (KS) and 2 B cell lymphoproliferative diseases, namely primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) and multicentric Castleman disease (MCD). KS, PEL, and MCD are largely incurable and poorly understood diseases most common in HIV-infected individuals. Here, we have revealed the role of viral FLICE-inhibitory protein (vFLIP) in the initiation of PEL and MCD by specifically expressing vFLIP at different stages of B cell differentiation in vivo. Mice showed MCD-like abnormalities and immunological defects including lack of germinal centers (GCs), impaired Ig class switching, and affinity maturation. In addition, they showed increased numbers of cells expressing cytoplasmic IgM-lambda, a thus far enigmatic feature of the KSHV-infected cells in MCD. B cell-derived tumors arose at high incidence and displayed Ig gene rearrangement with downregulated expression of B cell-associated antigens, which are features of PEL. Interestingly, these tumors exhibited characteristics of transdifferentiation and acquired expression of histiocytic/dendritic cell markers. These results define immunological functions for vFLIP in vivo and reveal what we believe to be a novel viral-mediated tumorigenic mechanism involving B cell reprogramming. Additionally, the robust recapitulation of KSHV-associated diseases in mice provides a model to test inhibitors of vFLIP as potential anticancer agents. |
