UPR Cayey

Summary 1: Ms. Olga GonzálezHerpesviral Reactivation: A Key Step for Disease Development

BIOL. 3095-140Nicolle A. Rosa Mercado

September 21, 2012

There are many different types of herpes viruses. During this seminar Ms. Olga González dis-

cussed five of them, which were Herpes Simplex Virus (types 1 and 2), Varicella Zoster Virus, Hu-

man Cytomegalovirus, Epstein Barr virus, and Kaposi’s sarcoma (KSHV), which is an associated

herpesvirus. She explained the importance of the latency and reactivation processes for these

viruses. Ms. Olga’s research is specifically based on KSHV. The understanding of this virus is of

extreme importance due to the fact that it is known to cause three different types of cancer: Ka-

posi’s sarcoma, Primary effusion lymphoma, and Multicentric Castleman disease. She explained

how Rta, the lytic switch protein, is used for the reactivation process of KSHV and the different

steps that Rta has to go through in order to do so. Her research may lead to innovating discoveries

on “molecular piracy” processes and may give our society a better understanding of molecular

mechanisms and cancer development.