Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen (EBNA) IRES

This family represents an Epstein-Barr virus internal ribosome entry site (IRES) which is found in the U leader exon in the 5' UTR of the Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) gene. The EBNA IRES allows EBNA1 translation to occur under situations where initiation from the 5' cap structure and ribosome scanning is reduced. It is thought that the EBNA IRES is necessary for the regulation of latent gene expression.