When tissues are infected with Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), they produce large amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines that are linked to disease progression. McCormick and Ganem show that a viral protein, kaposin B, interacts with mitogen-activated protein kinase-associated protein kinase 2 and enhances the activity of this host-cell protein, serving to block the decay of AU-rich messenger RNAs and increase the level of secreted cytokines. This result explains the association of KSHV-related disease and enhanced cytokine production.
C. McCormick, D. Ganem, The kaposin B protein of KSHV activates the p38/MK2 pathway and stabilizes cytokine mRNAs. Science 307, 739-741 (2005). [Abstract] [Full Text]
