The Requirement of p53 in Oral MSC differentiation Which Leads to Kaposi’s Sarcoma

P53 is considered one of the most important defense proteins against cancer.Although the p53 mutation is associated with many cancers, its mutation is never found in Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), raising a possibility that functional p53 may play a role in KS development. To assess the role of p53 in Kaposi’s sarcoma tumor, shRNA-mediated gene silencing was used to knockdown p53 expression. We examined Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)-infected periodontal ligaments stem cells (PDLSC) for osteogenic differentiation and endothelial angiogenesis, and we observed noticeable decreases in osteogenic differentiation and angiogenesis when p53 expression was knocked down in KSHV-infected PDLSCs by p53 specific shRNA. The results suggest that p53 plays an essential role in sarcoma development of KSHV infected mesenchymal stem cells.