EBV noncoding RNA EBER2 interacts with host RNA-binding proteins to regulate viral gene expression

Significance In recent years, next-generation sequencing has facilitated the discovery of thousands of nonprotein-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Some of these ncRNAs have been shown to interact with transcription regulators and may thus form a new class of ncRNAs that function in controlling gene expression. Identifying proteins that interact with this class of ncRNAs will be instrumental in elucidating their poorly understood molecular mode of action. The ncRNA EBV-encoded RNA 2 (EBER2) expressed by the oncogenic Epstein–Barr virus interacts with the cellular transcription factor paired box protein 5 (PAX5) to impact viral gene expression. In this study, we identified additional functionally important protein components of the EBER2–PAX5 complex. Our findings pave the way for investigating whether other transcription-regulating ncRNAs use the same protein components to exert their function.