Keeping viruses in Chk: DNA damage signaling puts the brakes on transformation

Lilley CE, Weitzman MD. (2011) Cell Host Microbe 8:464-466

Oncogenic viruses infect many cells but rarely lead to tumorigenesis. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Nikitin et al. describe how a protective DNA damage response acts to suppress transformation in the majority of cells latently infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).