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VIRAL INFECTION

Latent EBV gets stuck

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 20, page 381 (2022)Cite this article

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During latent infection, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) persists as a so-called episome, that is, copies of the viral genome that resemble a small human chromosome and remain in the nucleus of the host cell. The nuclear lamina, a protein network formed by type A and B lamins, regulates transcription of host genes and during lytic infection has been shown to have antiviral effects. Caruso et al. now show that the lamina also has a role during latent infection. They show that lamins can bind the EBV genome and induce repressive histone marks. Knockout of a type of lamin increased the expression of EBV genes that are associated with cellular proliferation and thus potentially malignant transformation, which suggests that the nuclear lamina is important for controlling EBV latency and restricting viral gene expression. As EBV upregulated the protective lamins, the authors conclude that the nuclear lamina is involved in a protective cell response upon infection.

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References

Original article

  • Caruso, L. B. et al. The nuclear lamina binds the EBV genome during latency and regulates viral gene expression. PLoS Pathog. 18, e1010400 (2022)

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  1. Nature Reviews Microbiology http://www.nature.com/nrmicro/

    Ursula Hofer

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  1. Ursula Hofer
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Correspondence to Ursula Hofer.

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Hofer, U. Latent EBV gets stuck. Nat Rev Microbiol 20, 381 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-022-00741-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-022-00741-w

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