Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 upregulates Derlin1 and PSMD10 expression in HeLa cells.

Background: Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), a potent viral carcinogen, plays a crucial role in the development of various malignancies. Among its proteins, EBV nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA1) stands out for its ability to modulate gene expression. In this study, we explored the impact of EBNA1 on the expression patterns of four cellular genes-Derlin1, ZEB1, CNN3, and PSMD10-in HeLa cells.

Materials and methods: Three distinct categories of HeLa cells were established: EBNA1-Transfected Cells: These cells were transfected with the EBNA1 gene.Control Plasmid-Transfected Cells: These cells received transfection with a control plasmid.Non-Transfected Cells (Control Group): These cells were not subjected to any transfection. After RNA extraction, we employed real-time PCR to evaluate the transcriptional levels of four specific genes-Derlin 1, ZEB1, CNN3, and PSMD10-in each of the three cell groups. The Mann-Whitney U-test was subsequently utilized to compare means, and statistical significance was determined based on p-values below 0.05. Data were meticulously recorded in an Excel 2016 spreadsheet.

Results: The results demonstrated that HeLa cells transfected with the EBNA1 plasmid exhibited significantly increased expression levels of Derlin1 (p = 0.028) and PSMD10 (p = 0.028) genes compared to cells transfected with the control plasmid. However, the expression changes observed in CNN3 and ZEB1 were not statistically significant (p = 0.99 and p = 0.2, respectively).

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that increase expression levels of Derlin1 and PSMD10 genes in HeLa cells by the EBV-EBNA1 might induce cancer cell survival and accelerates the development of cervical cancer (CC). However, to establish a conclusive link between EBV-EBNA1 and CC progression, further investigations are warranted.