MYC and infection: It has not yet been demonstrated that this function of the EBNA-3s is required for viral transformation of primary cells, but, given that one of the major cellular targets of EBNA-2 is c-MYC as described earlier, it is entirely plausible that EBNA-3A and EBNA-3C-mediated repression of BIM is essential during the early stages of infection to prevent MYC-induced apoptosis.