Epstein-Barr virus binding to CD21 activates the initial viral promoter via NF-kappaB induction

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), an oncogenic human herpesvirus, binds to and infects normal human B lymphocytes via CD21, the CR2 complement receptor. Studies of the mechanisms that enable EBV to infect nonactivated, noncycling B cells provide compelling evidence for a sequence of events in which EBV binding to CD21 on purified resting human B cells rapidly activates the NF-kappaB transcription factor, which, in turn, binds to and mediates transcriptional activation of Wp, the initial viral latent gene promoter. Thus, EBV binding to its cellular receptor on resting B cells triggers an NF-kappaB-dependent intracellular signaling pathway which is required for infection.