ABSTRACT: The hallmark of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), the most common cancer in HIV-infected patients caused by Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection, is hyperinflammation. However, the role of inflammation and the mechanism of induction of inflammation in KSHV-induced cancer remain unclear. In a previous high-throughput screening against KSHV-induced oncogenesis, over half of the identified candidates were anti-inflammatory agents. Among them, dexamethasone, a common anti-inflammatory corticosteroid, functions through binding to and activating glucocorticoid receptor (GR). In this study, we examined the mechanism mediating KSHV-induced inflammation. We found that numerous inflammatory pathways were activated in KSHV-transformed cells. Particularly, the interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) from the IL-1 family, implicated in a wide variety of inflammatory diseases, were the most induced and suppressed cytokines in KSHV-transformed KMM cells compared to the matched primary MM cells, respectively. By using reverse genetics, we showed that KSHV-encoded miRNAs mediated IL-1α induction while both miRNAs and vFLIP mediated IL-1Ra suppression. Furthermore, the GR signaling was inhibited in KSHV-transformed cells, which was mediated by vFLIP and vCyclin. Importantly, dexamethasone treatment inhibited cell proliferation, and colony formation in softagar of KMM cells but had a minimal effect on MM cells. Consequently, dexamethasone suppressed the initiation and growth of KS-like KMM tumors in mice. Mechanistically, dexamethasone suppressed IL-1α expression but induced IL-1Ra expression. Treatment with recombinant IL-1α protein was sufficient to rescue the inhibitory effect of dexamethasone while overexpression of IL-1Ra alone caused a weak growth inhibition of KMM cells. Furthermore, dexamethasone induced IκBα expression resulting in the inhibition of the classical and alternative NF-kB pathways and IL-1α expression. Taken together, these results revealed the important role of IL-1 signaling pathway in KSHV-induced inflammation and oncogenesis, which can be inhibited by dexamethasone-activated GR signaling. This study determined the mechanism of inflammation in KSHV-induced oncogenesis and identified IL-1-mediated inflammation as a potential therapeutic target for KSHV-induced malignancies.
