Epstein-Barr Virus Leader Protein
Paul D. Ling
from: Epstein-Barr Virus: Latency and Transformation (Edited by: Erle S. Robertson). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2010)
Abstract
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) efficiently infects and immortalizes human B lymphocytes through expression of at least 12 viral genes, which include the EBNA-LP protein. This chapter will cover the current state of knowledge about how EBNA-LP contributes to EBV biology. EBNA-LP is an enigmatic protein comprised largely of 22 and 44 amino acid repeated sequences. Elucidation of EBNA-LP functions has been guided by identification of interacting cellular and viral proteins. The functions of these cofactors implicate EBNA-LP as a potential modulator of apoptosis, cell cycle processes, and transcriptional pathways. Recent studies have linked EBNA-LP with Sp100, a protein associated with promyelocytic nuclear body proteins (PML NBs), which mediate intrinsic cellular defenses against viral infections. Alpha and beta herpesviruses encode proteins, which interact with and modulate PML NBs or PML NB-associated proteins to counteract this intrinsic cellular defense. These results link EBNA-LP with pathways that counteract or modulate the intrinsic host defense mechanisms read more ...
