Hong Kong Med J 2013;19(Suppl 5):S36-8
Identification and characterisation of Epstein-Barr virus miRNA in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells
RWM Lung, JHM Tong, MYM Sung, PPS Leung, SL Chau, DCH Ng, AWH Chan, EKO Ng, KW Lo, KF To
Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
1. Two novel Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) miRNAs (miR- BART21 and miR-BART22) are preferentially expressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) samples.
2. Sequence polymorphisms in the primary transcript of miR-BART22 augment its biogenesis in vitro, and thus may underline the high and consistent expression of miR-BART22 in NPC cells.
3. EBV latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) is a putative target of miR-BART22. It is postulated that modulation of LMP2A expression by mir- BART22 may permit escape of EBV-infected cells from host immune surveillance. The large proportion of EBV-encoded miRNA compared to cellular miRNA in NPC cells underscores their significance in the establishment and/or maintenance of latent infections and pathogenesis in NPC cells.
2. Sequence polymorphisms in the primary transcript of miR-BART22 augment its biogenesis in vitro, and thus may underline the high and consistent expression of miR-BART22 in NPC cells.
3. EBV latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) is a putative target of miR-BART22. It is postulated that modulation of LMP2A expression by mir- BART22 may permit escape of EBV-infected cells from host immune surveillance. The large proportion of EBV-encoded miRNA compared to cellular miRNA in NPC cells underscores their significance in the establishment and/or maintenance of latent infections and pathogenesis in NPC cells.