Epstein-Barr virus BART microRNAs in EBV- associated Hodgkin lymphoma and gastric cancer

Abstract

Background: EBV produces miRNAs with important functions in cancer growth, tumor invasion and host immune surveillance. The discovery of EBV miR-BARTs is recent, and most of their functions are still unknown. Nonetheless, some new studies underline their key roles in EBV-associated malignancies.

Main body: In EBV-associated tumors, the expression profile of miR-BARTs varies according to the cell type, autophagic process and signals received from the tumor microenvironment. By the same way of interest is the interaction between tumor cells and the tumor environment by the release of selected EBV miR-BARTs in addition to the tumor proteins trough tumor exosomes.

Conclusion: In this review, we discuss new findings regarding EBV miR-BARTs in Hodgkin lymphoma and gastric cancer. The recent discovery that miRNAs are released by exosomes, including miR-BARTs, highlights the importance of tumor and microenvironment interplay with more specific effects on the host immune response.

Keywords: BamHI fragment a rightward transcript; EBV; Epstein-Barr virus; miRNA; Gastric carcinoma cancer; HL; Hodgkin lymphoma; GC; Micro RNA; BART.

Fig. 1

Genomic map of the EBV region containing the BAMHI-I fragment. miR-BamHI fragment H rightward open reading frame 1 (BHFR1), latent EBV-encoded nuclear antigen 3 (EBNA3), latent EBV-encoded nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1), miR-BamHI A rightward transcripts (BARTs) in sequence order. Genomic deletion in the EBV B958.9 strain is shown. P1, promoter 1; P2, promoter 2; Qp, Q promoter are indicated by arrows