Control of virus-induced lymphoproliferation: Epstein-Barr virus-induced lymphoproliferation and host immunity

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a latent herpesvirus that is associated with a number of tumors. EBV-infected cells show three patterns of latency ranging from type 1, where only one EBV-encoded antigen is expressed, to type 3, where all nine latent cycle proteins encoded by EBV are expressed. Malignancies exhibiting the type 3 latency pattern are highly immunogenic and occur only in immunocompromised patients. It has recently been shown that adoptive immunotherapy with EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes is an effective therapy for such tumors. Immunotherapy strategies and approaches to increase tumor immunogenicity are now being evaluated in tumors expressing type 2 latency.