Вирусные микроРНК вируса Эпштейна-Барр выявили различную роль на разных стадиях хронического лимфолейкоза

EBV-encoded microRNAs (miRNAs) demonstrated distinct associations with clinical stage in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to research published in Infectious Agents and Cancer. These results suggest that individual viral miRNAs may have different roles during disease evolution. In a study of 20 EBV-positive patients with CLL, EBV viral load was significantly greater among those with advanced-stage disease; miR-BART4 and miR-BART7 were also significantly upregulated in advanced CLL. Conversely, miR-BHRF1 showed a nonsignificant tendency toward higher expression in early-stage disease but was positively correlated with EBV DNA load. The cohort comprised 10 patients with early-stage CLL (stages 0-1) and 10 with advanced-stage disease (stages 3-4). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated using Ficoll-Paque density-gradient separation. EBV DNA was quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction targeting EBNA-1; BHRF1, BART4, and BART7 expression was assessed using stem-loop reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Patients with advanced-stage disease were older than those with early-stage CLL, with mean ages of 72.10 (±7.89) years in advanced disease and 62.30 (±9.20) years in early-stage CLL (P =.02). Platelet counts were substantially lower in advanced disease (65.70 × 10³ ± 22.5 vs 184 × 10³ ± 43.2; P <.0001), whereas mean white blood cell counts did not differ significantly (40.4 × 10³ ± 30.0 vs 45.9 × 10³ ± 61.3; P =.801). Mean EBV viral load increased from 5000 (±8159) copies/μg DNA in early-stage CLL to 13,845 (±24,037) copies/μg DNA in advanced-stage disease (P =.0363). miR-BART4 and miR-BART7 were significantly more highly expressed in advanced-stage patients (P <.05 for each), whereas the higher miR-BHRF1 expression observed in early-stage disease did not reach statistical significance (P >.05). Notably, miR-BHRF1 expression correlated positively with log10 EBV DNA load (r = 0.516; P =.019). No significant correlations were identified for miR-BART4 (r = 0.316; P =.174) or miR-BART7 (r = 0.361; P =.117), suggesting that their association with advanced disease may not simply reflect increased viral burden. These findings support stage-specific functions for EBV miRNAs in CLL. BHRF1 has been implicated in apoptosis resistance through pathways involving p53, potentially supporting leukemic-cell persistence, whereas BART4 and BART7 may be more closely linked to advanced-stage pathogenesis. Larger studies are needed to determine whether these miRNAs can serve as prognostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets. “These results support a role for EBV in CLL biology and suggest that EBV miRNAs may hold value as biomarkers or therapeutic targets in CLL patients,” stated the authors. “While preliminary, these findings contribute to a growing body of evidence linking EBV-derived non-coding RNAs to hematologic malignancies and underscore the need for mechanistic and clinical validation in future studies with a large sample size.” This article originally appeared on Rare Disease Advisor References: Keyvanlou Z, Ravanshad M, Jamehdar SA, Babaei E. Correlation of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) expressed miRNAs (BART4, BART7, and BHRF1) with chronic lymphocytic leukemia stages. Infect Agent Cancer. Published online July 31, 2026. doi:10.1186/s13027-026-00785-0