Abstract
Culture of KSHV-infected lymphatic endothelial cells in 3D increases viral gene expression, leading to Notch-induced MT1-MMP-dependent endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition. This reproduces patterns of KSHV gene expression and presence of mesenchymal KSHV-infected cells found in KS lesions, narrowing the gap between in vitro systems of infection and KSHV tumorigenesis.