Kaposi's Sarcoma: Literature Review on the Mechanism of Kaposi's Sarcoma encoded Latency-Associated Nuclear Antigen and a Clinical Case Study

Abstract

Whether genetic, geographic, or acquired; a multitude of factors can bring about Herpesvirus 8 induced Kaposi’s Sarcoma, of which four subtypes have been identified: Classic, African endemic, AIDS-related, and iatrogenic Kaposi’s Sarcoma. A Case Study has been incorporated to illustrate the clinical manifestations of the latter type of Kaposi’s Sarcoma; a rather atypical occurrence in which the patient does not present with the characteristic purple, cutaneous lesions. A mechanistic approach examines just how this tumor establishes latency in infection and how the Latency-Associated Nuclear Antigen (LANA) that Herpesvirus 8 encodes for, downregulates various regulatory proteins, such as tumor suppressor cells: p53, VHL, and the Retinoblastoma protein and therefore promote oncogenesis.