Herpesvirus saimiri as a model for gammaherpesvirus oncogenesis.

Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) causes T-lymphoproliferative dis-$borders in several New World and Old World primate species and in certain rabbits.In vitro infection leads to permanent growth of primary T cells of primate and human origins. The transformation-relevant proteins of HVS interact with cellular proto-oncoproteins which results in cell growth transformation. In addition, virus-encoded cellular homologues may contribute to transformation or persistence of HVS by altering cellular signal transduction and deregulating cell growth control. Because of the presence of a permissive cell culture system and in vitro Land in vivo transformation assays, HVS provides a unique opportunity to investigate the mechanisms of cancer induction by oncogenic herpesviruses.