Project 462017

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects most people worldwide, persists for a life-time and is a causative agent in several types of lymphoma, gastric carcinoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, accounting for 200,000 cancer cases per year. In addition, accumulating evidence has identified EBV infection as an important factor in the development of multiple sclerosis. Successful infection by EBV involves the expression of ~80 protein viral proteins, many of which have poorly characterized functions. Many of these proteins are known or presumed to manipulated cellular processes to enable viral infection. We have been using proteomics approaches to define the host targets of EBV proteins and, in doing so, have discovered new cellular pathways and cellular proteins that are manipulated by EBV. This project will determine the mechanisms of these cellular manipulations and their importance for EBV infection. This information will enable new approaches to inhibit EBV infection, thereby limiting the development of EBV-associated cancers and multiple sclerosis.