HUMAN HERPESVIRUS 8 AND LYMPHOPROLIFERATIVE DISEASES

The spectrum of lymphoproliferative disorders linked to human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection has been constantly increasing since the discovery of its first etiologic association with primary effusion lymphoma (PEL). PEL is a rapidly progressing non-Hodgkin’s B-cell lymphoma that develops in body cavities in an effusional form. With the increase in the overall survival of PEL patients, as well as the introduction of HHV-8 surveillance in immunocompromised patients, the extracavitary, solid counterpart of PEL was later identified. Moreover, virtually all plasmablastic variants of multicentric Castleman’s disease (MCD) developing in HIV-1-infected individuals harbor HHV-8, providing a strong etiologic link between MCD and this oncogenic herpesvirus. Two other pathological conditions develop in HIV-1-infected persons concomitantly with MCD: MCD with plasmablastic clusters and MCD-associated plasmablastic lymphoma, the first likely representing an intermediate stage preceding the full neoplastic stage. MCD in leukemic phase has also been described, albeit much less commonly. The germinotropic lymphoproliferative disorder (GLPD) may resemble extracavitary PEL, but develops in immune competent HHV8-infected individuals, and, unlike the disorders described above, it responds well to conventional therapies. Almost all HHV-8-mediated lymphoproliferative disorders are the result of an interaction between HHV-8 infection and a dysregulated immunological system, leading to the formation of inflammatory niches in which B cells, at different developmental stages, are infected, proliferate and may eventually shift from a polyclonal state to a monoclonal/neoplastic disorder. Herein, we describe the association between HHV-8 and lymphoproliferative disorders and highlight the predominant distinctive features of each disease

Alternating quarantine for sustainable epidemic mitigation

Absent a drug or vaccine, containing epidemic outbreaks is achieved by means of social distancing, specifically mobility restrictions and lock-downs. Such measures impose a hurtful toll on the economy, and are difficult to sustain for extended periods. As an alternative, we propose here an alternating quarantine strategy, in which at every instance, half of the population remains under lock-down while the other half continues to be active, maintaining a routine of weekly succession between activity and quarantine. This regime affords a dual partition:\ half of the population interacts for only half of the time, resulting in a dramatic reduction in transmission, comparable to that achieved by a population-wide lock-down. All the while, it enables socioeconomic continuity at $50\%$ capacity. The proposed weekly alternations also address an additional challenge, with specific relevance to COVID-19. Indeed, SARS-CoV-2 exhibits a relatively long incubation period, in which individuals experience no symptoms, but may already contribute to the spread. Unable to selectively isolate these invisible spreaders, we resort to population-wide restrictions. However, under the alternating quarantine routine, if an individual was exposed during their active week, by the time they complete their quarantine they will, in most cases, begin to exhibit symptoms. Hence this strategy isolates the majority of pre-symptomatic individuals during their infectious phase, leading to a rapid decline in the viral spread, thus addressing one of the main challenges in COVID-19 mitigation.Comment: 36 pages, 13 figure

Candidate Predisposition Variants in Kaposi Sarcoma as Detected by Whole-Genome Sequencing

Familial clustering of classic Kaposi sarcoma (CKS) is rare with, approximately 100 families reported to date. We studied 2 consanguineous families, 1 Iranian and 1 Israeli, with multiple cases of adult CKS and without overt underlying immunodeficiency. We performed genome-wide linkage analysis and whole-genome sequencing to discover the putative genetic cause for predisposition. A 9-kb homozygous intronic deletion in RP11-259O2.1 in the Iranian family and 2 homozygous variants, 1 in SCUBE2 and the other in CDHR5, in the Israeli family were identified as possible candidates. The presented variants provide a robust starting point for validation in independent samples.Peer reviewe

Nucleolar Localization of GLTSCR2/PICT-1 Is Mediated by Multiple Unique Nucleolar Localization Sequences

The human glioma tumor suppressor candidate region 2 gene product, GLTSCR2, also called ‘protein interacting with carboxyl terminus 1’ (PICT-1), has been implicated in the regulation of two major tumor suppressor proteins, PTEN and p53, and reported to bind the membrane-cytoskeleton regulator of cell signaling, Merlin. PICT-1 is a nucleolar protein, conserved among eukaryotes, and its yeast homolog has been functionally associated with ribosomal RNA processing. By means of confocal microscopy of EGFP and myc-tagged PICT-1 fusion proteins, we delineate that the nucleolar localization of PICT-1 is mediated by two independent nucleolar localization sequences (NoLS). Unlike most NoLSs, these NoLSs are relatively long with flexible boundaries and contain arginine and leucine clusters. In addition, we show that PICT-1 exhibits a nucleolar distribution similar to proteins involved in ribosomal RNA processing, yet does not colocalize precisely with either UBF1 or Fibrillarin under normal or stressed conditions. Identification of the precise location of PICT-1 and the signals that mediate its nucleolar localization is an important step towards advancing our understanding of the demonstrated influence of this protein on cell fate and tumorigenesis

Transcriptional regulation of the open reading frame 35 encoded by Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated herpesvirus

AbstractKaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a member of the Gammaherpesvirinae and is causally associated with Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and multicentric Castleman's disease. The KSHV genome encodes over 85 genes; the function of some is entirely unknown. We have characterized the transcriptional regulation of a conserved and uncharacterized Gammaherpesvirinae open reading frame, orf35, which lies in a cluster of several overlapping genes, orf34 to orf38. We identified the transcription start site and analyzed upstream sequences. We found that expression of the KSHV lytic replication and transcription activator (RTA) strongly increased the orf35 promoter activity through a 46-nucleotide region which includes a conserved AP-1 binding site. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated direct binding of cJUN and cFOS to the predicted AP-1 binding site. Finally, using a mutated promoter lacking the AP-1 site and dominant-negative cFOS, we established that the RTA-mediated orf35 transactivation is AP-1-dependent

GLTSCR2/PICT-1, a Putative Tumor Suppressor Gene Product, Induces the Nucleolar Targeting of the Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus KS-Bcl-2 Protein▿

KS-Bcl-2, encoded by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), is a structural and functional homologue of the Bcl-2 family of apoptosis regulators. Like several other Bcl-2 family members, KS-Bcl-2 protects cells from apoptosis and autophagy. Using a yeast two-hybrid screen and coimmunoprecipitation assays, we identified a novel KS-Bcl-2-interacting protein, referred to as protein interacting with carboxyl terminus 1 (PICT-1), encoded by a candidate tumor suppressor gene, GLTSCR2. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed nucleolar localization of PICT-1, whereas KS-Bcl-2 was located mostly at the mitochondrial membranes with a small fraction in the nucleoli. Ectopic expression of PICT-1 resulted in a large increase in the nucleolar fraction of KS-Bcl-2, and only a minor fraction remained in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, knockdown of endogenous PICT-1 abolished the nucleolar localization of KS-Bcl-2. However, ectopically expressed PICT-1 did not alter the cellular distribution of human Bcl-2. Subsequent analysis mapped the crucial amino acid sequences of both KS-Bcl-2 and PICT-1 required for their interaction and for KS-Bcl-2 targeting to the nucleolus. Functional studies suggest a correlation between nucleolar targeting of KS-Bcl-2 by PICT-1 and reduction of the antiapoptotic activity of KS-Bcl-2. Thus, these studies demonstrate a cellular mechanism to sequester KS-Bcl-2 from the mitochondria and to downregulate its virally encoded antiapoptotic activity. Additional characterization of the interaction of KS-Bcl-2 and PICT-1 is likely to shed light on the functions of both proteins