Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) etiology has generally been thought to be of multifactorial origin involving genetic predisposition, geographical factors, and endogenous influences such as angiogenic factors. Recently a new herpesvirus later called with the descriptive name of Kaposi's sarcoma associated Herpes Virus (KSHV), had been discovered in tissue samples of KS skin lesions and in peripheral blood of these patients. KSHV has been found in all types of Kaposi's sarcoma and many studies give strong basis to affirm that this virus has a role in the etiology of this disease. We performed a molecular biology study to investigate the presence and the replication of this virus in four patients affected by KS; 3 with Classical KS form (CKS) and 1 with Iatrogenic KS associated with multiple myeloma (IKS). Two specimens of CKS and the IKS one were taken from recent onset lesions of rapidly progressive disease at a papule-nodules stage, while another specimen of CKS was from a long-standing lesion (more than 20 years) without any tendency for progression. All patients were HIV negative. Control skin samples were obtained from patients undergoing plastic surgery. Both for the Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and for the reverse transcriptase-poymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) the primers KS1 and KS2 were used, which amplify a 233 bp sequence from KSHV genome. All three specimens from recent onset lesion resulted positive for KHSV presence at the PCR and also at the RT-PCR demonstrating an active replication of KSHV in these lesions. Instead both the PCR and the RT-PCR of the long standing CKS lesion failed to demonstrate respectively the presence and the replication of the virus even if the numbers of the cycles were raised. Our report is the first in which not only DNA but also KSHV mRNA was demonstrated, showing the active replication of the virus in lesions of recent onset. The negative result in the long standing KS lesion could be just a false negative, giving the extreme sensibility of PCR, on the other hand it could be that either the presence of the virus nor its replication is necessary for the disease to maintain itself after long periods and a particular cytokine network is responsible for the long lasting 'slowly developing' disease sometimes seen in Classic KS. Our findings on the replication of KSHV in recent and progressive disease further support the hypothesis that KSHV reactivation or infection could take place in particular immunological conditions and thus that KSHV could have an early causative role in the development of KS of different origin.

KSHV mRNA expression in tissue samples from Kaposi's sarcoma / Amerio, ; b and Proietto, P. a.; G., A.; Feliciani, C.; a and, Toto; and Coscione, P. a.; and Mohammad Pour, G. a.; and Amerio, S. a.; P., A.. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMMUNOPATHOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY. - ISSN 0394-6320. - 10:1(1997), pp. 111-112.

KSHV mRNA expression in tissue samples from Kaposi's sarcoma

Feliciani C.
Supervision
;
1997-01-01

Abstract

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) etiology has generally been thought to be of multifactorial origin involving genetic predisposition, geographical factors, and endogenous influences such as angiogenic factors. Recently a new herpesvirus later called with the descriptive name of Kaposi's sarcoma associated Herpes Virus (KSHV), had been discovered in tissue samples of KS skin lesions and in peripheral blood of these patients. KSHV has been found in all types of Kaposi's sarcoma and many studies give strong basis to affirm that this virus has a role in the etiology of this disease. We performed a molecular biology study to investigate the presence and the replication of this virus in four patients affected by KS; 3 with Classical KS form (CKS) and 1 with Iatrogenic KS associated with multiple myeloma (IKS). Two specimens of CKS and the IKS one were taken from recent onset lesions of rapidly progressive disease at a papule-nodules stage, while another specimen of CKS was from a long-standing lesion (more than 20 years) without any tendency for progression. All patients were HIV negative. Control skin samples were obtained from patients undergoing plastic surgery. Both for the Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and for the reverse transcriptase-poymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) the primers KS1 and KS2 were used, which amplify a 233 bp sequence from KSHV genome. All three specimens from recent onset lesion resulted positive for KHSV presence at the PCR and also at the RT-PCR demonstrating an active replication of KSHV in these lesions. Instead both the PCR and the RT-PCR of the long standing CKS lesion failed to demonstrate respectively the presence and the replication of the virus even if the numbers of the cycles were raised. Our report is the first in which not only DNA but also KSHV mRNA was demonstrated, showing the active replication of the virus in lesions of recent onset. The negative result in the long standing KS lesion could be just a false negative, giving the extreme sensibility of PCR, on the other hand it could be that either the presence of the virus nor its replication is necessary for the disease to maintain itself after long periods and a particular cytokine network is responsible for the long lasting 'slowly developing' disease sometimes seen in Classic KS. Our findings on the replication of KSHV in recent and progressive disease further support the hypothesis that KSHV reactivation or infection could take place in particular immunological conditions and thus that KSHV could have an early causative role in the development of KS of different origin.
1997
KSHV mRNA expression in tissue samples from Kaposi's sarcoma / Amerio, ; b and Proietto, P. a.; G., A.; Feliciani, C.; a and, Toto; and Coscione, P. a.; and Mohammad Pour, G. a.; and Amerio, S. a.; P., A.. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMMUNOPATHOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY. - ISSN 0394-6320. - 10:1(1997), pp. 111-112.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11381/2862915
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