HORMONE-VIRUS INTERACTION IN CARCINOGENESIS - A CLUE TO THE ETIOLOGY OF AIDS (REVIEW)

An attempt was made to remould the concept of viral carcinogenesis so as to overcome the difficulty one encounters in applying the Koch paradigm to the study of AIDS and other virus-related human malignancies. On the basis of information from both our laboratory and other laboratories, we presented 3 suggestions as follows: (i) there is ample evidence to suggest that the progressions of both viral infection and viral carcinogenesis undergo modification from the endocrines of the host, especially from the steroid-generating system of which the function undergoes another modification from a change of the outer- and inner-environments. Therefore, one should consider the possibility that the environment-linked endocrines may play a crucial role in the progression of viral carcinogenesis. (ii) A failure to clear the 4 Koch postulates, as experienced in AIDS and other human malignancies, could be taken as evidence to suggest that viral carcinogenesis may take the form of a 'genomic shock', a phenomenon that is mediated by the movable genetic element of McClintock. If it be the truth, the classical Koch paradigm should be replaced by another paradigm in which the environment-linked endocrines are of the prime importance. In other words, environment-linked hormone is the master and virus is the servant. (iii) The uncontrolable spread of AIDS in the world led us to the recognition that we are facing a scientific crisis that is closely related to another crisis of our civilization in general. We can learn some lesson from the history of natural science to create a new way of approach to the Nature.