Abstract

TAp63alpha Induced Apoptosis Inhibited by Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpesvirus Latency Nuclear Antigen

Suchitra Mohanty, Sushil Kumar Sahu, Nabanita Roy Chattopadhyay, Amit Kumar, Piyanki Das and Tathagata Choudhuri

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infects a variety of human cells including cells of epithelial, mesenchymal and endothelial origin. The latency associated nuclear antigen (LANA) of this virus regulates the transcription of a number of viral and cellular genes essential for the survival of the virus in the host cell. TAp63α can induce apoptosis in stressed cells by upregulating various death receptors and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. The present study demonstrates that LANA inhibits TAp63α-mediated apoptosis by a direct interaction with each other. This interaction also results in a reduction in loss of mitochondrial membrane potential caused by TAp63α. Therefore the present study indicates a possible mechanism of KSHV-infected cells to escape apoptosis and facilitate survival.