Comparative Analysis of Epstein-Barr Virus EBNA-2 Sequence Variation in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Other EBV-Related Tumors

Epstein Barr virus (EBV) is a common gamma herpesvirus that has infected over 95% of the worldwide population and is associated with several diseases which includes Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and gastric cancer (GC). Epstein Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA-2) gene of EBV is pivotal for growth transformation process and EBV type differentiation. Variations of the EBNA-2 gene could affect EBV transformation. Thus, understanding the variations that occur could provide invaluable insights. Variations of the EBNA-2 gene of EBV from different countries and disease associated was identified by comparing the gene with the reference sequence of EBNA2 from EBV isolated from C666-1 with the accession KC617875. Out of 11 samples, KC440851 is the most diverged and distally related sample from the reference sample. Interestingly some disease share similarities within the EBNA-2 gene as in the case of BL and NPC. The divergence of ENBA-2 gene increases with respect to geographical region when compared to reference sample.