Blockade of viral interleukin-6 expression of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus.

ABSTRACT: Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), also known as human herpesvirus 8, is associated with several malignant disorders, including Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), and multicentric Castleman's disease. An early lytic gene of KSHV encodes viral interleukin-6 (vIL-6), a viral homologue of the proinflammatory cytokine and an autocrine/paracrine growth factor human IL-6. In this study, we examined the effects of suppressing vIL-6 expression in PEL cells with antisense peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PPMO). PPMO are ssDNA-analogues that have a modified backbone and enter cells readily. Treatment of PEL cells with a PPMO designed against vIL-6 mRNA led to a marked reduction in the proportion of vIL-6-positive cells detected by immunofluores

SUBMITTER: Zhang YJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2377409 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature