{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T11:12:48Z","timestamp":1788347568354,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788307200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Dent. J.","Dentistry Journal"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Epstein\u2013Barr virus (EBV) enters the human body via saliva. EBV-encoded latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1) activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. MAPK signaling pathway activation due to the BRAF-V600E mutation is widely known as a major event in the pathogenesis of ameloblastoma. It is unclear whether EBV infects ameloblastoma and is involved in the pathogenesis of ameloblastoma. We investigated the relationship between LMP-1 and BRAF-V600E mutant protein expression in ameloblastoma by immunohistochemistry. Methods: We examined a total of 334 samples (ameloblastoma 117 samples, odontogenic keratocyst 127 samples, dentigerous cysts 45 samples, and dental follicle 45 samples). Ephrin type-A receptor 2 (EphA2), BRAF-V600E mutant protein, and \u03b3H2AX expression were confirmed by immunohistochemistry. We confirmed that the positive cases of BRAF-V600E mutant protein and \u03b3H2AX segregated based on LMP-1 expression: high grade (HG) and low grade (LG). Results: EphA2 expression was high in all lesions. The positive rate of BRAF-V600E mutant protein expression was significantly higher in ameloblastoma, and the positive rate of BRAF-V600E mutant protein in LMP-1 HG cases (71.9%) was significantly greater than in LG cases (39.6%) in ameloblastoma. The positive rate of \u03b3H2AX expression was significantly higher in ameloblastoma than in the other lesions. The positive rate of BRAF-V600E mutant protein in LMP-1 HG cases (71.9%) was significantly greater than in LG cases (39.6%) in ameloblastoma. Conclusions: BRAF-V600E mutant protein and \u03b3H2AX expression in ameloblastoma were significantly higher in LMP-1 HG cases than in LG cases.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/dj14090556","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T10:02:52Z","timestamp":1788343372000},"page":"556","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Relationship Between Epstein\u2013Barr Virus LMP-1 and BRAF-V600E Mutant Protein Expression in Ameloblastoma"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-2779-2269","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kenko","family":"Okamoto","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Pathology, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences, Meikai University School of Dentistry, Saitama 350-0283, Japan"},{"name":"Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences, Meikai University School of Dentistry, Saitama 350-0283, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"visualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Michiko","family":"Nishimura","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Pathology, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences, Meikai University School of Dentistry, Saitama 350-0283, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7925-0309","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yuji","family":"Miyazaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Basic Biology, Department of Oral Biology and Tissue Engineering, Meikai University School of Dentistry, Saitama 350-0283, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Miyako","family":"Hoshino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Pathology, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences, Meikai University School of Dentistry, Saitama 350-0283, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Shinnichi","family":"Sakamoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Pathology, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences, Meikai University School of Dentistry, Saitama 350-0283, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Miki","family":"Haruyama","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences, Meikai University School of Dentistry, Saitama 350-0283, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"resources","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Fumio","family":"Ide","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Pathology, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences, Meikai University School of Dentistry, Saitama 350-0283, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Nobuharu","family":"Yamamoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences, Meikai University School of Dentistry, Saitama 350-0283, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"resources","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Kentaro","family":"Kikuchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Pathology, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences, Meikai University School of Dentistry, Saitama 350-0283, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"702","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(64)91524-7","article-title":"VIRUS PARTICLES IN CULTURED LYMPHOBLASTS FROM BURKITT\u2019S LYMPHOMA","volume":"1","author":"Epstein","year":"1964","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1002\/rmv.1816","article-title":"Host genetics of Epstein-Barr virus infection, latency and disease","volume":"25","author":"Houldcroft","year":"2015","journal-title":"Rev. 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