A Computational Profiling of Changes in Gene Expression and Transcription Factors Induced by vFLIP K13 in Primary Effusion Lymphoma

Infection of Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpes virus (KSHV) has been linked to the development of primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), which is characterized by the loss of expression of B cell markers and effusions in the body cavities. This unique clinical feature of PEL has been attributed to their distinctive gene expression profile which shows overexpression of genes in various signaling pathways. KSHV-encoded latent protein vFLIP K13 has been shown to promote the survival and proliferation of PEL cells. In this study, we have employed gene array analysis followed by bioinformatics analysis of coordinated transcriptional factors network as well as biological pathways to characterize the effect of K13 on PEL-derived BCBL1 cells. We observed that genes associated with Cytokine signaling, Cell death, NF-kappaB and Cell adhesion pathways were differentially regulated by K13.

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Punj V, Matta H, Chaudhary PM