Novel approach to identify putative Epstein-Barr-virus microRNAs regulating host cell genes with relevance in tumor biology and immunology.

The human Epstein-Barr virus is associated with several human solid and hematopoietic malignancies. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms including virus-encoded microRNAs (miRs), which lead to the malignant transformation of infected cells and immune evasion of EBV-associated tumors, have not yet been characterized. The expression levels of numerous known EBV-specific miRs and their suitability as diagnostic and/or prognostic markers were determined in different human EBV-positive tissues followed by analyses to identify putative EBV-miR-regulated target genes, thereby offering a suitable screening strategy to overcome the limited available data sets of EBV-miRs and their targeted gene networks.