The potential impacts of early secreted antigenic target of 6 kDa ofMycobacterium tuberculosison KSHV-infected cells

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) causes several human cancers, including Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and primary effusion lymphoma, which are mostly seen in immunocompromised patients, such as human immunodefeciency virus (HIV)+ individuals. Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the bacterial pathogenMycobacterium tuberculosis(Mtb), remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world. The risk of developing TB is dramatically higher in people living with HIV than among those without HIV infection. Case reports link cutaneous or pulmonary KS in HIV+ patients with mycobacterial co-infections, however, impacts ofMtbinfection or its products on KSHV-infected cells are not known. We report here that ESAT-6, a secretedMtbvirulence factor, induces viral reactivation from KSHV-infected cells. KSHV-infected pulmonary endothelial cells were resistant to ESAT-6 induced inhibition of cell growth. Our data demonstrate thatMtbvirulence factors influence the biology of KSHV-infected cells, highlighting the need to study the interactions between these two pathogens commonly found in people living with HIV.

Automated summary

KSHV-associated cancers are common in immunocompromised patients, while tuberculosis remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases globally; people living with HIV are at significantly higher risk of developing tuberculosis compared to those without HIV infection; the pathogenic factor ESAT-6 from Mtb can influence the biology of KSHV-infected cells.