Epstein–Barr virus RNA confers resistance to interferon-α-induced apoptosis in Burkitt’s lymphoma

We investigated whether Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection could counteract the antitumor effect of interferon (IFN)-α. EBV-negative subclones isolated from EBV-positive Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) cell lines Akata, Daudi and Mutu were found to fall into apoptosis after IFN-α treatment. On the other hand, EBV-positive counterparts exhibited striking resistance against IFN-α-induced apoptosis. Transfection of an individual EBV latent gene into EBV-negative BL cells revealed that EBV-encoded poly(A)(–) RNAs (EBERs) were responsible for IFN resistance. EBERs bound double-stranded (ds) RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR), a key mediator of the antiviral effect of IFN-α, and inhibited its phosphorylation. Transfection of dominant-negative PKR, which was catalytically inactive and could block phosphorylation of endogenous PKR, made EBV-negative BL cells resistant to IFN-α-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, EBERs did not bind mutant PKR, which was catalytically active but lacked dsRNA-binding activity, nor did they inhibit its phosphorylation. These results indicate that EBERs confer resistance to IFN-α-induced apoptosis via binding to PKR and inhibition of its phosphorylation. This is the first report that the virus counteracts IFN-induced apoptosis in virus-associated tumors.