EBV Noncoding RNAs

EBV expresses multiple viral noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) throughout infection with regulatory activities that influence critical stages of the viral life cycle, including the establishment of latent infection and reactivation from latency. Advances in RNA sequencing technologies continue to reveal novel and diverse types of ncRNAs produced by EBV. Among these are the EBV-encoded RNAs (EBERs), the BamHI A rightward transcripts (BARTs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), stable intronic (sis) RNAs, lytic-associated ncRNAs, and viral microRNAs (miRNAs). While exact functions for most EBV ncRNAs are not fully resolved, multiple studies reveal important roles for these molecules in mediating essential aspects of the viral life cycle such as modulation of viral gene expression, cell survival, and immune evasion. This chapter updates our current knowledge of the different types of ncRNAs encoded by EBV and how these molecules critically contribute to viral persistence and disease.