Interleukin-6 stimulates HHV-8 replication in bone marrow cultures and infected cell lines.
BACKGROUND
The significance of HHV-8 DNA detection in bone marrow stromal cells from patients with multiple myeloma is still controversial. Since IL-6 plays a key role in the pathogenesis of myeloma, we studied the effect of this lymphokine on HHV-8 DNA detection.


METHODS
Amplification of HHV-8 DNA from long-term bone marrow cultures established from normal individuals in the presence or absence of 1 ng/ml IL-6 and from an HHV-8 infected ISI cell line.


CONCLUSIONS
IL-6 increased HHV-8 replication in seven of ten bone marrow cultures as well as in the ISI cell line. Quantitative PCR showed a 3-100-fold increase in HHV-8 DNA copy number/microg DNA. These data suggest that when IL-6 is present in the micro-environment, HHV-8 replicates and may be amplified in the absence of systemic infection in patients without cellular immune deficiency.
Agbalika
F
F
Laboratory of Virology, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Paris, France.
Marolleau
J P
JP
Brouet
J C
JC
D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000821:virology*; D002460:Cell Line; D004261:DNA Replication; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012016:Reference Values; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000821:virology; D014779:Virus Replication
D004279:DNA, Viral