Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Rev Med Virol. 2014 Jan;24(1):3-14. doi: 10.1002/rmv.1763. Epub 2013 Sep 18.
Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is an oncogenic herpesvirus implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of human malignancies. However, the mechanism by which EBV leads to malignant transformation is not clear. A number of viral latent gene products, including non-protein coding small RNAs, are believed to be involved. Epstein-Barr virus-encoded RNA 1 (EBER1) and EBER2 are two such RNA molecules that are abundantly expressed (up to 10(7) copies) in all EBV-infected cells, but their function remains poorly understood. These polymerase III transcripts have extensive secondary structure and exist as ribonucleoproteins. An accumulating body of evidence suggests that EBERs play an important role, directly or indirectly, in EBV-induced oncogenesis. Here, we summarize the current understanding of the complex interactions of EBERs with various cellular factors and the potential pathways by which these small RNAs are able to influence EBV-infected cells to proliferate and to induce tumorigenesis. The exosome pathway is probably involved in the cellular excretion of EBERs and facilitating some of their biological effects.
EB 病毒（EBV）是一种致癌性疱疹病毒，与许多人类恶性肿瘤的发病机制有关。然而，EBV 导致恶性转化的机制尚不清楚。一些病毒潜伏基因产物，包括非编码小 RNA，被认为与之相关。EB 病毒编码的 RNA1（EBER1）和 EBER2 是两种这样的 RNA 分子，在所有 EBV 感染的细胞中大量表达（高达 10^7 个拷贝），但其功能仍知之甚少。这些聚合酶 III 转录本具有广泛的二级结构，并以核糖核蛋白的形式存在。越来越多的证据表明，EBERs 直接或间接地在 EBV 诱导的致癌作用中发挥重要作用。在这里，我们总结了目前对 EBERs 与各种细胞因子的复杂相互作用的理解，以及这些小 RNA 能够影响 EBV 感染细胞增殖和诱导肿瘤发生的潜在途径。外泌体途径可能参与了 EBERs 的细胞排泄，并促进了它们的一些生物学效应。
