FIG 8.

Working model showing a regulatory loop between NF-κB, LMP1, and BART miRNA in NPC cells. Constitutively active NF-κB, together with LMP1 produced through NF-κB signaling, upregulates LMP1 and BART miRNA and lncRNA expression in EBV-infected NPC cells. BART miRNA can downregulate LMP1 expression by targeting its 3′ UTR and thereby forms a negative feedback loop to modulate the level of LMP1 in cancer cells. The aberrant NF-κB activity in EBV-infected NPC cells ensures high-level expression of BART miRNAs and lncRNAs, which may contribute to immune evasion, cell survival, and cancer promotion.