PLOS Science Wednesday: Hi reddit, we’re Ke Lan, Xing Wang, and Zhe Zou and our findings help explain why men are more susceptible to Kaposi’s sarcoma herpes virus infection than women – Ask Us Anything!

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Hi Reddit,

My name is Ke Lan and I am a professor and the Director of the State Key Laboratory of Virology at Wuhan University, Wuhan, P.R. China. My researches focus on the mechanism of latent infection and oncogenesis caused by Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpes virus.

Dr. Xing Wang and Mr. Zhe Zou who worked in my lab before will join me to answer questions. Dr. Xing Wang is now a professor at the Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital affiliated to the Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P.R. China.

And, Mr. Zhe Zou is now a technician at the Department of Gastroenterology, Xinqiao Hospital affiliated to the Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P.R. China.

We recently published an article titled “Male hormones activate EphA2 to facilitate Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection: Implications for gender disparity in Kaposi's sarcoma” in PLOS Pathogens. Previous studies have shown that the incidence of Kaposi’s sarcoma is higher in males, however the reason has not been addressed. In our study, we found that male hormones and its receptor (AR) can promote KSHV infection by activating an important cellular signaling pathway. Our findings suggested that males are more vulnerable to infection of KSHV due to the male hormones, providing an explanation to the higher incidence of Kaposi’s sarcoma in males.

We will be answering your questions at 1pm ET -- Ask Us Anything!

">PLOS Science Wednesday: Hi reddit, we’re Ke Lan, Xing Wang, and Zhe Zou and our findings help explain why men are more susceptible to Kaposi’s sarcoma herpes virus infection than women – Ask Us Anything!