A systematical analysis of the signal transduction pathways induced by the Latent Membrane Protein 1 (LMP1) of Epstein-Barr virus.

To systematically investigate mechanisms of signal transduction by the EBV oncogene LMP1, the time-dependent regulation of cellular signaling pathways by inducible LMP1 variants was studied in mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking expression of signaling molecules. This led to insights into the importance of cellular TRAF6 and TRADD for LMP1 signaling, and specifically uncovered indirect activation of STAT3 mediated by the LMP1-dependent secretion of the inflammatory cytokine LIF. The relevance of the presented results for carcinogenesis was addressed in NPC cells and EBV-transformed B cells