Ultrastructure of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)/human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) in a primary effusion lymphoma cell line treated with tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA)

Abstract

The ultrastructure of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)/human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) has not yet been fully elucidated, although some findings have been reported using primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) cell lines, KS-1, harboring no Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) coinfection. In the present study, detailed fine structural examination of KSHV/HHV-8 was performed after stimulation of the PEL-derived cell line KS-1 with 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in vitro. While unstimulated KS-1 cells contained a small number of intranuclear virus particles associated with no extracellular mature particles, KS-1 cells stimulated with TPA produced many extracellular mature particles as well as intranuclear particles, in addition to interesting tubulo-reticular structures and aggregated tubular structures in vesicles. The induced intranuclear particles were empty, doughnut shaped, and dense cored, with outer and inner diameters of 100–110 nm and 60–70 nm, respectively. Dense-cored extracellular mature particles were 150–160 nm in diameter, and some contained doughnut-shaped cores, together with a few megaloviruses, 260 nm in outer diameter. These findings indicate that KS-1 cells treated with TPA can produce extracellular mature particles as well as intranuclear particles, which were proven to be KSHV/HHV-8.