Understanding the inhibition of antigen-specific T cells by the KSHV protein vOX2 and its cellular counterpart, CD200

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Kaposi?s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the probable cause of Kaposi?s sarcoma (KS), a cancer affecting AIDS patients and the most prevalent tumour in Africa. KSHV interferes with the immune response, which normally helps to prevent viral diseases. This interference presumably helps the virus to become established in the infected person, leading to disease. Our work suggests that one KSHV protein, called vOX2, is responsible for this immune interference since it suppresses the immune response: it is ?anti-inflammatory?, and in the present proposal we want to understand how vOX2 achieves this activity. Understanding the function of vOX2 could help understand the host?s immune response to infection and lead to new types of therapy for certain human diseases.Normally, immune responses are beneficial, but when their control goes wrong, they can attack the body they are supposed to defend and cause inflammatory diseases such as contact dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and lung conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The processes behind these diseases are quite well understood. We believe that vOX2, or derivatives, offers a new solution to treating these sorts of inflammatory diseases and the outcome of our proposed studies could enable the development of new types of anti-inflammatory drugs.The data generated by our studies will be published in scientific journals, but also communicated to a more general audience through Dr. Blackbourn?s engagement in science communication with the public. Typically, this involves talking to fund-raising groups and high school students about viruses and disease, including his research.