Abstract
Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is involved in the pathogenesis of various lymphomas and carcinomas, whereas Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) participates in the pathogenesis of endothelial sarcoma and lymphomas. EBV and KSHV are responsible for 120,000 and 44,000 annual new cases of cancer, respectively. Despite this clinical importance, no chemotherapies or vaccines have been developed for virus-specific treatment and prevention of these viruses. Humans are the only natural host for both EBV and KSHV, and only a limited species of laboratory animals are susceptible to their experimental infection; this strict host tropism has hampered the development of their animal models and thereby impeded the study of therapeutic and prophylactic strategies. To overcome this difficulty, three main approaches have been used to develop animal models for human gammaherpesvirus infections. The first is experimental infection of laboratory animals with EBV or KSHV. New-world non-human primates (NHPs) and rabbits have been mainly used in this approach. The second is experimental infection of laboratory animals with their own inherent gammaherpesviruses. NHPs and mice have been mainly used here. The third, a recent trend, employs experimental infection of EBV or KSHV or both to immunodeficient mice reconstituted with human immune system components (humanized mice). This review will discuss how these three approaches have been used to reproduce human clinical conditions associated with gammaherpesviruses and to analyze the mechanisms of their pathogenesis.
Highlights
Strategies to Generate Animal Models for Human Gammaherpesvirus InfectionsApproximately 15% of human malignancies are attributed to infection [1], and the two human gammaherpesviruses, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) [2] and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) [3], are responsible for 120,000 and 44,000 annual new cases of cancer, respectively [1]
Humans are the only natural host of EBV and KSHV, and very limited species of laboratory animals are susceptible to their experimental infection; this strict host tropism has hampered the development of suitable animal models of human gammaherpesvirus infections
KSHV is etiologically linked to the three malignant or lymphoproliferative diseases, Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), and multicentric Castleman’s disease (MCD), all of which are frequently associated with immunodeficiency caused by HIV (Table 1) [3]
Summary
15% of human malignancies are attributed to infection [1], and the two human gammaherpesviruses, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) [2] and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) [3], are responsible for 120,000 and 44,000 annual new cases of cancer, respectively [1]. Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD), AIDS-associated lymphomas, oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL), EBV-positive LPD/lymphoma in primary immunodeficiency. As human B cells, the major target of both EBV and KSHV, are reconstituted in humanized mice, they can be infected parenterally with both viruses and recapitulate persistent infection, immune responses, and pathogenesis by these viruses [13,14]. In addition to the three approaches described above, immunodeficient mice transplanted with patient-derived tumor cells or with tumor-derived cell lines have been used as in vivo models of gammaherpesvirus-associated tumors These models have been mainly used to evaluate the effect of experimental therapeutics in vivo and in most cases have not been intended to investigate the pathogenesis of these viruses.
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