Leandros Arvanitakis

G-protein-coupled receptor of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus is a viral oncogene and angiogenesis activator.

The Kaposis sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV8) is a γ-2 herpesvirus that is implicated in the pathogenesis of Kaposis sarcoma, and of primary effusion B-cell lymphomas (PELs). KSHV infects malignant and progenitor cells of Kaposis sarcoma and PEL,,, it encodes putative oncogenes,, and genes that may cause Kaposis sarcoma pathogenesis by stimulating angiogenesis,,,. The G-protein-coupled receptor encoded by an open reading frame (ORF 74) of KSHV is expressed in Kaposis sarcoma lesions and in PEL, and stimulates signalling pathways linked to cell proliferation in a constitutive (agonist-independent) way. Here we show that signalling by this KSHV G-protein-coupled receptor leads to cell transformation and tumorigenicity, and induces a switch to an angiogenic phenotype mediated by vascular endothelial growth factor, an angiogenesis, and Kaposis-spindle-cell growth factor. We find that this receptor can activate two protein kinases, JNK/SAPK and p38MAPK, by triggering signalling cascades like those induced by inflammatory cytokines that are angiogenesis activators and mitogens for Kaposis sarcoma cells and B cells. We conclude that the KSHV G-protein-coupled receptor is a viral oncogene that can exploit cell signalling pathways to induce transformation and angiogenesis in KSHV-mediated oncogenesis.