Tumor Molecular and Microenvironment Characteristics in EBV-Associated Malignancies as Potential Therapeutic Targets: Focus on Gastric Cancer

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Aviva Atri-Schuller, University of Cincinnati; Hassan Abushukair, Jordan University of Science & Technology; Ludimila Cavalcante, Emory University; Stijn Hentzen, University of Kansas; Azhar Saeed, University of Utah; Anwaar Saeed, University of Kansas
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-11-01
• Publisher: MDPI
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2022 by the authors.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cimb44110390
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: CURRENT ISSUES IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
• Volume: 44
• Issue: 11
• Start Page: 5756
• End Page: 5767
• Grant/Funding Information: This research received no external funding.
• Keywords: Science & Technology; DENDRITIC CELLS; CARCINOMA; H; INDOLEAMINE 2,3-DIOXYGENASE; tumor microenvironment (TME); EBV; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; LATENCY; TAMs; IFN-gamma; INHIBITION; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; M2; EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS; EXPRESSION; M1; INVASION; EBV malignancies; IDO1; HELICOBACTER-PYLORI; pylori; EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC)
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery; Health Sciences, Pathology

Abstract

Although most people are infected with Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) during their lifetime, only a minority of them develop an EBV-associated malignancy. EBV acts in both direct and indirect ways to transform infected cells into tumor cells. There are multiple ways in which the EBV, host, and tumor environment interact to promote malignant transformation. This paper focuses on some of the mechanisms that EBV uses to transform the tumor microenvironment (TME) of EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) for its benefit, including overexpression of Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), synergism between H. pylori and EBV co-infection, and M1 to M2 switch. In this review, we expand on different modalities and combinatorial approaches to therapeutically target this mechanism.