title: Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein 2A mediates transformation through constitutive activation of the Ras/PI3-K/Akt Pathway.
abstract: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) is widely expressed in EBV-infected cells within the infected human host and EBV-associated malignancies, suggesting that LMP2A is important for EBV latency, persistence, and EBV-associated tumorigenesis. Previously, we demonstrated that LMP2A provides an antiapoptotic signal through the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K)/Akt pathway in vitro. However, the exact function of LMP2A in tumor progression is not well understood. In this study, we found that LMP2A did not induce anchorage-independent cell growth in a human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT, but did in a human gastric carcinoma cell line, HSC-39. In addition, LMP2A activated the PI3-K/Akt pathway in both HaCaT and HSC-39 cells; however, LMP2A did not activate Ras in HaCaT cells but did in HSC-39 cells. Furthermore, the Ras inhibitors manumycin A and a dominant-negative form of Ras (RasN17) and the PI3-K inhibitor LY294002 blocked LMP2A-mediated Akt phosphorylation and anchorage-independent cell growth in HSC-39 cells. These results suggest that constitutive activation of the Ras/PI3-K/Akt pathway by LMP2A is a key factor for LMP2A-mediated transformation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University Medical School, 303 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Longnecker
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral / Q000502:physiology*; D002867:Chromones / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000821:virology; D009025:Morpholines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051058:Oncogene Protein v-akt / Q000096:biosynthesis; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011090:Polyenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D002867:Chromones; C037662:EBV-associated membrane antigen, Epstein-Barr virus; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D009025:Morpholines; D011090:Polyenes; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; C085911:2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D051058:Oncogene Protein v-akt; D018631:ras Proteins; C054474:manumycin