Epstein-Barr Virus Infection in Heman T-cells

The oncogenic potential of Epstein-barr virus (EBV) for Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has been extended to other neoplasias, such as Hodgkin's disease, gastric cancer, and peripheral T-cell tumor. The pattern of EBV gene expression observed in some EBV-associated T-cell tumor.The pattern of EBV gene expression observed in some EBV-associated T-cell tuors is similar to the pattern also seen in NPC snd in EBV-positive cases of Hodgkin's disease.However, the inability to reproduce this latency Ⅱform of EBV infection in vitro has hampered study of the factors influensing EBV gene expression in different cellar envionments. We have generated a recombinant EBV carrying a selectable marker (neomycin resistance gene) tarerated a recombinant virus and subsequent isolation of drug resistant clones resulted in the lines carrying EBV episomes.EBV-infectedMT-2 cell clones expressed EBNA 1 and LMP 1 and very littele of EBNA 2, showing the BamHIF promoter-driven latency Ⅱform of infection, which is seen in non-B cell tumors. Thus, latency Ⅱ type EBV infection could be reproduced in vitro. A very useful model system for establishing stable EBV infection of different cell lineages in vitro has been provided.

BamHI F

Q promoter

CD21

Epstein-Barr virus

Recombinant viruｓ

T-cell