Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) MicroRNAs: Involvement in Cancer Pathogenesis and Immunopathology

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which infects over 90% of adults, appears to have evolved to exploit the normal biology of B-cell development in order to persist as a life-long asymptomatic infection. However, EBV can contribute to oncogenesis. It has become evident that alterations in the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) from the host cell and EBV can also contribute to cancer pathogenesis. MicroRNAs function by inhibiting translation of select groups of mRNA transcripts containing imperfect annealing sequences in their 3' untranslated regions (3(') UTRs) and less frequently through other regions of the transcript. A number of studies have demonstrated that profiles of miRNA expression could establish phenotypic signatures of different cancer types where viruses have been evolved with highly sophisticated gene silencing machinery to disturb the host-immune response. Based on current review, it is possible that a specific virus miRNA may be involved in cancer pathogenesis.