EBV microRNA BART 18-5p targets MAP3K2 to facilitate persistence in vivo by inhibiting viral replication in B cells
Abstract
EBV is a human herpesvirus that is associated with several forms of cancer. It can transform B lymphocytes into proliferating lymphoblastoid cell lines yet establishes a benign lifetime latent infection in resting memory B cells in virtually all human beings. EBV encodes for ∼40 micro-RNAs, small RNAs that modulate the activity of cellular genes. A subset of these is highly expressed in latently infected memory B cells in vivo. Here, we show that one of them, 18-5p, suppresses the expression of MAP kinase kinase kinase 2 (MAP3K2). We further show that MAP3K2, a central molecule in many cellular signaling pathways, mediates the signals that initiate viral replication. Thus, 18-5p favors latency in vivo by suppressing viral replication through reduction of MAP3K2.
- Publication:
-
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- July 2014
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.1406136111
- Bibcode:
- 2014PNAS..11111157Q