Interferon regulatory factor 7 is involved in the growth of Epstein-Barr virus-transformed human B lymphocytes

The cellular interferon (IFN) regulatory factor-7 (IRF7) is closely associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-mediated transformation of B lymphocytes in vitro and in vivo. However, the exact role of IRF7 in viral transformation is not clear. We have found that knockdown of IRF7 leads to growth inhibition of EBV-transformed cells, and restoration of IRF7 by exogenous plasmid correlates with growth recovery of the viral transformed cells. In addition, IRF7-knockdown cells have a lower proliferation but a higher apoptotic rate than control cells. Moreover, reduction of IRF7 leads to reduction of major viral oncoprotein, latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1). Our data suggest that IRF7 may be a factor in EBV transformation and a useful target in the therapy of EBV-mediated neoplasia.