HIV-1 Tat and AIDS-associated cancer: targeting the cellular anti-cancer barrier?

Giuseppe Nunnari¹ , Johanna A Smith² and René Daniel²

¹University of Catania, Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties, Division of Infectious Diseases, Via Palermo 636, Catania, Italy

²Center for Human Virology, Division of Infectious Diseases and Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, 1020 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA

author email corresponding author email

Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research 2008, 27:3doi:10.1186/1756-9966-27-3


Published:	15 May 2008

Abstract

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is accompanied by a significant increase in the incidence of neoplasms. Several causative agents have been proposed for this phenomenon. These include immunodeficiency and oncogenic DNA viruses and the HIV-1 protein Tat. Cancer in general is closely linked to genomic instability and DNA repair mechanisms. The latter maintains genomic stability and serves as a cellular anti-cancer barrier. Defects in DNA repair pathway are associated with carcinogenesis.

This review focuses on newly discovered connections of the HIV-1 protein Tat, as well as cellular co-factors of Tat, to double-strand break DNA repair. We propose that the Tat-induced DNA repair deficiencies may play a significant role in the development of AIDS-associated cancer.