%0 Journal Article %A Anderson, Leah J. %A Longnecker, Richard %T EBV LMP2A provides a surrogate pre-B cell receptor signal through constitutive activation of the ERK/MAPK pathway %D 2008 %J Journal of General Virology, %V 89 %N 7 %P 1563-1568 %@ 1465-2099 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.2008/001461-0 %I Microbiology Society, %X Latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) provides developmental and survival signals that mimic those of a B-cell receptor (BCR). Expression of LMP2A during B-cell development results in the ability of B cells to exit the bone marrow in the absence of a BCR and persist in the periphery, where they would normally undergo apoptosis. This study extends the current knowledge of LMP2A function by examining the growth properties of bone marrow B cells from TgE LMP2A mice. Despite the lack of pre-BCR expression, bone marrow B cells from TgE LMP2A mice proliferate and survive in low concentrations of interleukin 7, similar to wild-type cells. Constitutive phosphorylation of ERK/MAPK and PI3K/Akt in TgE LMP2A bone marrow B cells is also reminiscent of signalling through the pre-BCR, altogether demonstrating that LMP2A provides a pre-BCR-like signal to developing B cells. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.2008/001461-0