Description:

Title: Mechanisms of KSHV-associated B Cell Transformation in Primary Effusion Lymphoma

Speaker: Eva Gottwein, PhD / Associate ProfessorNorthwestern University

Host: Laimonis Laimins, PhD

Topic:

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a major cause of cancers in the context of HIV/AIDS, including primary effusion B cell lymphoma (PEL) and Kaposi’s Sarcoma. How KSHV causes cancer is not well understood. The study of PEL is particularly significant, because PEL is an aggressive cancer with few treatment options. In addition, PEL-derived cell lines serve as a model for KSHV latency in B cells, which represent the major latent reservoir of this virus. I will give an update of our application of functional genomics tools, such as loss and gain of function CRISPR screens, to improve our understanding of the role of cellular and viral factors in KSHV-mediated B cell transformation in PEL.