BET inhibitors suppress BZLF1 expression [MutuI RNA-seq]

Lytic infection by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) poses numerous health risks, such as infectious mononucleosis and lymphoproliferative disorder. We demonstrate that JQ1 and other BET inhibitors block two different steps in the sequential cascade of the EBV life cycle: expression of the immediate-early gene BZLF1 and lytic genome replication. This represents a novel mode of action for antiviral drugs that may increase efficacy and decrease emergence of resistance. The RNA-seq data below show that the first block by JQ1 occurs before transcription of any EBV lytic genes (see wigs of EBV transcriptomes). A subset of the same RNA-seq data (three replicates each of Mutu+vehicle was compared to Mutu+JQ1) was examined for changes in the human transcriptome, and those results are presented in the spreadsheet "Differential_Expression_GEO" Overall design: RNA-seq from MutuI pretreated with JQ1 or vehicle, treated with antibody or vehicle, experiment performed in triplicate