The role of human herpesvirus-8 infection in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma / 中国实验血液学杂志

ABSTRACT

Multiple myeloma is a B-cell neoplasm characterized by abnormal proliferation and accumulation of monoclonal plasma cells in the bone marrow. Recently some laboratories have detected human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) DNA sequences in bone marrow dendritic cells from myeloma patients. It has been suggested that the cytokines expressed by HHV-8 gene, such as vIRF, vIL-8R and vIL-6, may play a role in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma. However, the majority of European investigators failed to find evidence to confirm this observation. It remains unclear whether HHV-8 is consequentially associated with myeloma or only a regional opportunistic infection. Controversy still focuses on the role of specific HHV-8 strains involved in pathogenesis of multiple myeloma and causality between the