In article <3009bb616c55002 at gold.tc.umn.edu>, john0390 at GOLD.TC.UMN.EDU
("Jeffrey John") wrote:
> Greetings fellow researchers,
>> I want to thank all of you who took the time to write me in responce to a
> previous message.
>> In this message I would like to discuss the role of herpes viruses and cancer
> and would appreciate any comments hypothesises or therioes any of you may
> have.The herpes virus I work with is a herpes viru(Lucke Tumor Herpesvirus) that
> infects north americam leopard frogs.It was the first cancer to be associated
> with a herpes virus and confirmed using Koch postulates.The primary tumor is a
> renal tumor, more specifically the tumor seems to arise from epithelial stem
> cells of the proximal tubules of the kidney.
>> I would like any of your in put as to how you think the genome of the herpes
> virus plays its role in causing the infected cells to poliferate uncontolablly
> and thus become carcinogentic. Could it be the viral genome codes for proteins
> or other produts that bind to domains on the host DNA that turn on those genes
> that regulate the cell cycle.Or does the viral DNA itself contain with in its
> genome oncogenes that cause the host cell to poliferate under the right
> circumstances. Possibly a combination of both?
>> The tumor I work with also can become metastatic and would appeciate any
> comments as to how the herpes viral DNA plays a role if any in this. For my
> honors thesis I found through PCR that the virus is found in all secondary
> metastatic colonies. Electron microscopic research also supports this data.
>> Thanks For Your Help!
>> Jeffrey C. John
>> "fP
The DNA genome of small DNA tumor viruses like SV40 encode transforming
proteins for instance large T antigen. Those have (at least) two functions;
1) to transactivate cellular genes including cell cycle regulatory genes
and 2) to bind directly to cell cycle regulatory proteins. I presume your
virus does something similar. There is a slew of literature on that. A good
one is "Fundamental Virology" or "Virology", by Fields and Kipe Raven
Press. I don't know whether the 1995 edition is already out or will be
later this year.
None of the other herpesviruses is truely transforming, except
Epstein-Barr-Virus.
Yours,
Dirk
--
Dirk Dittmer
Stanford University School of Medicine
Deptartment of Microbiology and Immunology
Fairchild Building
Stanford, CA 94305-5402
FAX: USA-415-725-6997
Telephone: USA-415-723-7393
e-mail: dittmer at leland.stanford.edu
