Inhibition of Germinal Centre Apoptotic Programmes by Epstein-Barr Virus

To establish a persistent latent infection, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) faces a challenge in that the virus-infected host cell must transit through the germinal centre reaction. This is a site of B cell differentiation where antibody responses are optimised, and the selection criteria for B cells are s...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lindsay C. Spender, Gareth J. Inman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2011-01-01
Series:Advances in Hematology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/829525
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Summary:To establish a persistent latent infection, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) faces a challenge in that the virus-infected host cell must transit through the germinal centre reaction. This is a site of B cell differentiation where antibody responses are optimised, and the selection criteria for B cells are stringent. The germinal centre environment is harsh, and the vast majority of B cells here die by apoptosis. Only cells receiving adequate survival signals will differentiate fully to be released into the periphery as long-term memory B cells (the site of persistence). In this review, we detail the apoptotic pathways potentially encountered by EBV-infected B cells during the process of infection, and we describe the functions of those EBV-regulated cellular and viral genes that help promote survival of the host B cell.
ISSN:1687-9104
1687-9112