The LMP2A signalosome--a therapeutic target for Epstein-Barr virus latency and associated disease

Most adults are infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a virus that establishes a lifelong latent infection in B lymphocytes and is associated with a variety of cancers. In normal individuals, latent infection with EBV typically poses no health risk, but upon immunosuppression, either following organ transplantation or HIV infection, malignancies and lymphoproliferative diseases can result. We have utilized both transgenic mice and EBV transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) as models of EBV latent infection to explore the function of latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) of EBV. This has allowed us to identify important functional domains of LMP2A, essential host proteins necessary for LMP2A function, and the effect of LMP2A on normal B cell function. These studies have provided a more complete understanding of the role of LMP2A in EBV latency and tumorigenesis and may allow for the identification of novel therapeutics for the treatment or eradication of EBV latent infections and associated proliferative disorders.