Pattle Samuel B, Farrell Paul J
Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, Department of Virology, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK.
Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2006 Nov;6(11):1193-205. doi: 10.1517/14712598.6.11.1193.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), discovered > 40 years ago from a Burkitt's lymphoma biopsy, was the first virus to be directly associated with human cancer. EBV has two distinct life cycles in the human host; a lytic form of infection that produces new infectious virions, and a latent form of infection that allows the virus to persist in a dormant state for the lifetime of the host. EBV has evolved a life cycle that mimics the natural differentiation pathway of antigen-activated B cells, giving the virus access to its site of latent infection, the resting memory B cell. By steering infected cells through the various stages of lymphocyte differentiation, EBV is able to enter a cell type suitable for long-term latent persistence and periodic reactivation. However, its presence in various stages of B-cell development, and its ability to infect certain epithelial cells, can have pathogenic consequences, and can contribute to the development of a diverse group of lymphomas and carcinomas. The presence of EBV in the tumour cells of EBV-associated cancers might provide a basis for specific therapy. This article focuses on the contributions that the virus may play in different types of human cancer, particularly Burkitt's lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, lymphomas and lymphoproliferative diseases in the immunocompromised, and nasopharyngeal and gastric carcinoma.
爱泼斯坦-巴尔病毒（EBV）于40多年前从伯基特淋巴瘤活检中被发现，是第一种被直接证实与人类癌症相关的病毒。EBV在人类宿主中有两种不同的生命周期：一种是产生新的感染性病毒粒子的裂解性感染形式，另一种是使病毒在宿主一生中以休眠状态持续存在的潜伏性感染形式。EBV进化出了一种模仿抗原激活B细胞自然分化途径的生命周期，使病毒能够进入其潜伏感染位点，即静止记忆B细胞。通过引导受感染细胞经历淋巴细胞分化的各个阶段，EBV能够进入适合长期潜伏持续和周期性重新激活的细胞类型。然而，它在B细胞发育的各个阶段的存在，以及它感染某些上皮细胞的能力，可能会产生致病后果，并可能导致多种淋巴瘤和癌的发生。EBV在EBV相关癌症的肿瘤细胞中的存在可能为特异性治疗提供基础。本文重点关注该病毒在不同类型人类癌症中可能发挥的作用，特别是伯基特淋巴瘤、霍奇金淋巴瘤、免疫功能低下者的淋巴瘤和淋巴增殖性疾病，以及鼻咽癌和胃癌。
