The Intracellular Consequences of the Interaction between Epstein-Barr Virus Protein BZLF1 and the Human Protein Pax5

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Brian S. Wakeman (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Amy Adamson

Abstract: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a human herpes virus that is the cause of infectious mononucleosis and is associated with several types of cancers. These cancers include Burkitt's lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Hodgkin's disease, and a variety of leukemias. EBV is found in two states; latent (dormant state) and lytic (the replicating state). A protein essential for the switch and establishment of the lytic state is the immediate-early protein BZLF1. BZLF1 is known to physically associate with a variety of host cellular proteins leading to changes in cellular environment. One such association is with the human B cell protein Pax5. Pax5 plays an important role in determining B cell differentiation as well as promoting the latent state in EBV infected cells through the activation of the EBV latent promoter Wp. The BZLF1/Pax5 complex was examined to determine if this interaction produces specific cellular changes. Pax5 protein levels in B cells before, during and after EBV infection were established. I also examined the effect the BZLF1/Pax5 complex has on the histone methylation state of chromatin during EBV infection. My final goal was to determine if the BZLF1/Pax5 complex affects Pax5 ability to transcriptionally activate two of its target genes, CD19 and CD79a. My results show that during lytic replication the expression of the EBV protein BZLF1 results in increased levels of Pax5. These increased levels of Pax5 result in increased levels of Pax5 transcriptional targets CD19 and CD79a. Also the increased levels of Pax5 and the BZLF1/Pax5 complex resulted in hypermethylation of histone 3 lysine 9.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 2008
Keywords
EBV, Pax5, BZLF1, H3K9, CD19, CD79a, Epstein-Barr virus, lytic replication
Subjects
Epstein-Barr virus.
BZLF1 protein, Herpesvirus 4, Human
Herpesvirus 4, Human
Epstein-Barr Virus Infections
PAX5 protein, human

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