The Kaposi's SarcomaA malignant cancer that originates in bone, muscle or connective tissues. VirusThe smallest type of organism known. A single virus particle (called a virion) is much smaller than a cell. Viruses reproduce by invading cells and forcing the cells to make progeny virions. Viruses generally have specific host cells which they infect. Some virus types are associated with specific cancers and can convert normal cells into cancer cells. Examples of viruses associated with cancer are: papillomavirus-cervical cancer, hepatitis virus-liver cancer, Epstein-Barr virus-Burkitt's lymphoma. Virus-induced transformation of cells was one of the very first model systems for the study of cancer. Viruses have also been a key tool in the identification of many oncogenes. Because of their great ability to enter target cells viruses such as adenoviruses are being examined for their ability to deliver genes to cancer cells. been linked with several different types of cancer. The mechanisms that cause cancer to form after infection are still being discovered. A recently published article in the journal Science reveals a new piece of the puzzle. Once the Kaposi's sarcoma virus invades a cell, it hijacks cellular machinery and uses it to proliferate. In order for this process to work, however, the virus must subvert the body's innate immune response, which would cause the infected cell to commit suicide rather than allow the virus to replicate. The virus inhibits the immune response by using a molecule called KSHV Orf63, which mimics the appearance of the human molecule NLRP1. These two bind each other and effectively shut down the pro-inflammatory activity of NLRP1. Subsequently, mutated cells are not destroyed, which is a key step in cancer development.
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