EBV‑BART‑6‑3p and cellular microRNA‑197 compromise the immune defense of host cells in EBV‑positive Burkitt lymphoma.

The present study aimed to identify the association between Epstein‑Barr virus (EBV) microRNA (miRNA) and cellular miRNA in compromising the immune system, which contributes to the development of Burkitt lymphoma (BL). The present study selected cellular miR‑197 as the focus of the experiments due to the previous report that it is differentially expressed and the observation that interleukin‑6 receptor (IL‑6R) is a virtual target of miR‑197 and EBV‑BamHI A region rightward transcript (BART)‑6‑3p. In the present study, IL‑6R was confirmed as a target of cellular miR‑197 using a luciferase assay, and the negative regulatory association between miRNA (miR‑197 and EBV‑BART‑6‑3p) and mRNA (IL‑6R) was confirmed by the observation that IL‑6R was downregulated in EBV‑positive Burkitt lymphoma and that miR‑197 was upregulated. Additionally, mimics of EBV‑BART‑6‑3p and miR‑197 were introduced into lymphoma cells, and it was found that EBV‑BART‑6‑3p and miR‑197 synergistically reduced the expression of IL‑6R. These findings improved current understanding of the role of miR‑197/ EBV‑BART‑6‑3p and their target, IL‑6R, in the development of EBV‑positive BL, and they may offer potential as novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of EBV‑positive malignancies.