Related Experiment Videos
The switch between latency and replication of Epstein-Barr virus
1Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510-8064.
The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|May 1, 1990
Summary
Researchers identified the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) ZEBRA gene as a key switch controlling viral latency and replication. This discovery offers insights into how viruses transition between dormant and active states.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Viral latency is a state where viruses persist in hosts with silent genomes.
- Inducing stimuli can reactivate latent viruses to replicate.
- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a herpesvirus known for its latency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the gene responsible for switching EBV between latency and replication.
- To understand the molecular mechanisms controlling viral reactivation.
Main Methods:
- Experimental identification of key viral genes.
- Analysis of gene expression during EBV latency and replication.
- Characterization of protein function (ZEBRA) as a transcriptional transactivator.
Main Results:
- A crucial EBV gene, ZEBRA, was identified as the switch between latency and replication.
- ZEBRA expression is repressed during latency and induced upon reactivation.
- ZEBRA activates the expression of several EBV early genes.
Conclusions:
- ZEBRA acts as a transcriptional transactivator, controlling the switch between EBV latency and replication.
- A single viral gene product can regulate a central process in virology.
- Understanding ZEBRA offers promise for detailed insights into viral latency.