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. 2015 Feb 5;3(1):74-89.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines3010074.

EBV-Associated Cancer and Autoimmunity: Searching for Therapies

Giovanni Capone  1 , Candida Fasano  2 , Guglielmo Lucchese  3 , Michele Calabrò  4 , Darja Kanduc  5
Affiliations

EBV-Associated Cancer and Autoimmunity: Searching for Therapies

Giovanni Capone et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects B-, T-, and NK cells and has been associated not only with a wide range of lymphoid malignancies but also with autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and, in particular, multiple sclerosis. Hence, effective immunotherapeutic approaches to eradicate EBV infection might overthrow cancer and autoimmunity incidence. However, currently no effective anti-EBV immunotherapy is available. Here we use the concept that protein immunogenicity is allocated in rare peptide sequences and search the Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) sequence for peptides unique to the viral protein and absent in the human host. We report on a set of unique EBV EBNA1 peptides that might be used in designing peptide-based therapies able to specifically hitting the virus or neutralizing pathogenic autoantibodies.

Keywords: EBV EBNA1; anti-EBV vaccine; autoimmunity; cancer; low-similarity peptides; peptide matching; peptide-therapy.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pentapeptide identity platform shared between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) protein and the human proteome. Peptide aa sequences in one letter code.
Figure A1
Figure A1
Pentapeptide identity platform shared between EBV GP350 protein and the human proteome. Peptide aa sequences in one letter code.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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