Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 1994:187:245-56; discussion 256-60.
doi: 10.1002/9780470514672.ch16.

Evasion of host immune responses by tumours and viruses

P C Doherty  1 , R A Tripp, J W Sixbey
Affiliations
Review

Evasion of host immune responses by tumours and viruses

P C Doherty et al. Ciba Found Symp. 1994.

Abstract

Viruses and tumours use various mechanisms to avoid immune surveillance. Oncogenic viruses have achieved a balance with the immune system through evolutionary time to ensure long-term persistence. Mutations that promote escape mechanisms favouring tumour growth to the detriment of host survival through reproductive age offer no selective advantage and will not generally be maintained in the viral genome that persists in nature. Conventional (non-oncogenic) and tumour viruses interact with various immune mediators and T cells in different ways. Oncogenic viruses cannot operate solely in the context of a lytic cycle, though this may be characteristic of the initial phase of infection that is limited by the acute immune response. Some oncogenic viruses interact with normal cellular growth control and signalling mechanisms. Synthesis of key viral proteins may be tightly controlled in replicating cells that are subject to T cell surveillance, such as basal epithelia, while productive infection occurs in non-proliferating progeny that are lost under normal physiological conditions, such as desquamating epithelia. Tumorigenesis may be an aberrant consequence of the molecular mechanisms needed to maintain this pattern of viral growth regulation in the context of the cell cycle. Vaccines designed to limit the acute phase of infection with cell-free oncogenic viruses should be as effective as those for conventional viruses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources