Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.7.49 (reverse transcriptase)
 31,746 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Castleman's disease (CD) is a lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by enlarged hyperplastic lymph nodes. CD may be localized or multifocal, and is often associated with signs and symptoms of generalized inflammation. The systemic manifestations of CD have been previously attributed to an overproduction of interleukin-6 (IL-6) by the tumor, although there is evidence that IL-6 is not responsible for all of the symptoms. We describe a 9-year-old boy who developed Castleman's disease with systemic findings of hypochromic microcytic anemia, growth arrest, inflammation, and hyperimmunoglobulinemia. Following surgical resection, all of the symptoms and laboratory abnormalities resolved. Using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of the tumor, we found elevated levels of IL-6 mRNA as expected, but also elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor beta (TNF-beta) and gamma interferon (gamma-IFN) mRNA. Because these cytokines are mediators of immune regulation and inflammation, we propose that TNF-beta and gamma-IFN also play an important role in the pathophysiology of Castleman's disease.
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PMID:Elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor-beta, gamma-interferon, and IL-6 mRNA in Castleman's disease. 749 11

Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) genome encodes for genes homologous to human cellular genes such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), Cyclin-D, BCL-2, and IL-8 receptor (G-protein-coupled receptor [GCR]). We used reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to study the expression of these viral genes in lymphoproliferative disorders associated with HHV-8 infection. None of these genes was expressed in 1 case of benign, localized Castleman's disease (CD), and only viral IL-6 and viral Cyclin-D were transcribed in 2 cases of benign lymphadenopathies with giant germinal center hyperplasia and increased vascularity. In contrast, all 4 genes were transcribed in 1 case of multicentric CD of plasma cell type with aggressive clinical course and in 1 primary effusion lymphoma cell line. Our study provides the evidence that various HHV-8 genes, homologous to cellular genes involved in control of proliferation and apoptosis, may be differently expressed in different lymphoid disorders in vivo.
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PMID:Expression of cell-homologous genes of human herpesvirus-8 in human immunodeficiency virus-negative lymphoproliferative diseases. 1051 99

Human herpes virus type 8 (HHV8) has been strongly associated with Kaposi sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), and Castleman's disease. To our knowledge, infection by this virus has not been strongly associated with other hematopathologic malignancies. We examined five oral cavity lymphomas from men with AIDS for HHV8 and HIV-1 by reverse transcriptase in situ polymerase chain reaction, as well as for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) (EBER-1, -2) using in situ hybridization and HHV8 protein with immunohistochemistry. Four of these tumors were plasmablastic lymphomas; the final case was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Most of the neoplastic cells in these five lymphomas contained HHV8 RNA and protein. Further, the four plasmablastic lymphoma cases had tumor cells that contained EBV. HIV-1 RNA was not detected in the tumor cells but was noted in surrounding benign T cells. In comparison, HHV8 RNA was not detected in any of the five oral cavity lymphomas from people who did not have acquired immunosuppression nor in five lymphomas from AIDS patients that were located at a site other than the oral cavity. It is concluded that oral cavity lymphomas from people with AIDS are strongly associated with infection by HHV8 and EBV. Given the poor prognosis of oral cavity lymphomas in immunocompromised patients, therapy directed against the HHV8 and EBV infection may be of therapeutic value.
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PMID:Oral plasmablastic lymphomas in AIDS patients are associated with human herpesvirus 8. 1548 61