Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41073405›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Extracellular vesicles derived EBV tegument protein BRRF2 suppresses cGAS phase separation to promote anti-viral innate immune evasion.

Zhu-Long Hu, Zi-Qian Li, Yu Wang, Yi-Ling Luo, Wan-Ping Guo, Ning Meng, Guo-Long Bu, Le-Le Zhang, Shu-Xin Li, Xiang-Wei Kong and 9 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Macrophages in oncoviral infections: from immune regulators to therapeutic targets.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2026
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Zhu-Long Hu *State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Zi-Qian Li *State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Yu Wang *State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0650-8126
Yi-Ling LuoState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Wan-Ping GuoState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Ning MengState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Guo-Long BuState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Le-Le ZhangState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Shu-Xin LiState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Xiang-Wei KongState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Xin-Yan FangSouthern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, P. R. China.
Qiao-Li WangState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Run-Kun HanState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Zheng ZhaoState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Ge-Xin ZhaoState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Zi-Ying JiangState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Run-Xian JinZhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Mu-Sheng ZengState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China. zengmsh@sysucc.org.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3509-5591
Qian ZhongState Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, P. R. China. zhongqian@sysucc.org.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1071-6996

Funding

Guangdong Science and Technology Department (Science and Technology Department, Guangdong Province) 2020B1212030004National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 81621004National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 81830090National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 82203230National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) U22A20322Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (Guangdong Natural Science Foundation) 2023A1515011790
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Viral strategies to antagonize the robust host innate immune response have a major function in the pathogenicity of viral infection and virus-associated cancers. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection causes infectious mononucleosis (IM) and several human cancers. While latent EBV can reactivate in some nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells, the impact of EBV reactivation on the anti-viral innate immune and immunotherapy response of NPC patients remains incompletely understood. Here, we reveal the function of the EBV-encoded BRRF2 protein as a pivotal regulator of the host immune system. We show that BRRF2, which is secreted via extracellular vesicles (EVs) from NPC cells undergoing EBV reactivation, specifically targets macrophages. It disrupts the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway, which is crucial for innate immunity. BRRF2 inhibits the enzymatic activity of cGAS by interfering with the interaction of cGAS with dsDNA and reducing cGAS-DNA phase separation. Notably, our research shows a marked increase in the levels of BRRF2

Indexed as

Epstein-Barr Virus InfectionsExtracellular VesiclesHerpesvirus 4, HumanImmune EvasionImmunity, InnateNucleotidyltransferasesAnimalsCell Line, TumorCyclic Guanosine Monophosphate-Adenosine Monophosphate SynthaseHumansMacrophagesMembrane ProteinsMiceNasopharyngeal CarcinomaPhase SeparationSignal TransductioncGAS protein, humanCyclic Guanosine Monophosphate-Adenosine Monophosphate SynthaseMembrane ProteinsNucleotidyltransferasesSTING1 protein, humanSTING Protein

Identifiers

PMID41073405
PMCPMC12514055

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.