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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

LANA protein, Kaposi's sarcoma herpes virus, KSHV, herpesvirus infections

College

Life Sciences

Department

Microbiology and Molecular Biology

Abstract

Kaposi’s sarcoma herpes virus (KSHV) is one of seven known cancer causing viruses which have the capacity to persist in the host for many years. This particular virus can undergo a long latent infection which ensures that the virus can hide by not expressing its genes. Last year, we proposed an experiment that would show the importance of a particular gene in the viral genome, LANA, in establishing a latent infection. The experiment required us to create stocks of a mutant virus that did not have the LANA gene inside (bac36deltaLANA) and then infect humanized mice with it. After infection, we planned on examining the mice to see if the capacity to establish a latent infection would be inhibited. However, as we proceeded with the experiment, we found that the bac36deltaLANA virus was very difficult to propagate. Other researchers had been able to transfect the viral DNA into cells but had been unable to keep it there. In other words, we could get the DNA into the cells but the cells would go into their lytic cycle and die instantly (because LANA was gone) or they would lose the DNA over subsequent divisions. We were suddenly faced with an unanticipated challenge that we have had to overcome in this last year. The journey to uncover a means to create the virus has been interesting research all by itself. The following are a list of experiments that we attempted and what we have learned from them:

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