The Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) encodes viral microRNAs (miRs) that contribute to the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal and gastric carcinomas, but their potential roles in lymphomas are still to be elucidated. This study sought to assess the impact of knocking down EBV miRs BART 7 and BART9 in EBV-positive Akata cell lines using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Compared to cells harboring the wild-type (WT) EBV genomes, Akata cells subjected to CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockdown of EBV BART 7 and BART9 showed a significant reduction in the expression of viral miRs, confirming the validity of the experimental model. Knocking down both BART7 and BART9 caused a significant reduction in cell viability and proliferation rates while increasing the expression of EBV lytic genes. Global proteomic analysis shows that knocking down EBV BART7 significantly decreased the expression of ubiquitin/proteasome proteins while increasing RNA binding proteins (RBPs). On the other hand, BART9 knockdown caused a decrease in proteins associated with oxidoreductase activity, including the metabolism of fatty acids. Our results unravel previously unknown roles for EBV miRs BART7 and BART9 on cellular pathways relevant to both viral biology and lymphomagenesis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.