Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 transactivates latent membrane protein LMP1.

Several lines of evidence are compatible with the hypothesis that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA-2) or leader protein (EBNA-LP) affects expression of the EBV latent infection membrane protein LMP1. We now demonstrate the following. (i) Acute transfection and expression of EBNA-2 under control of simian virus 40 or Moloney murine leukemia virus promoters resulted in increased LMP1 expression in P3HR-1-infected Burkitt's lymphoma cells and the P3HR-1 or Daudi cell line. (ii) Transfection and expression of EBNA-LP alone had no effect on LMP1 expression and did not act synergistically with EBNA-2 to affect LMP1 expression. (iii) LMP1 expression in Daudi and P3HR-1-infected cells was controlled at the mRNA level, and EBNA-2 expression in Daudi cells increased LMP1 mRNA. (iv) No other EBV genes were required for EBNA-2 transactivation of LMP1 since cotransfection of recombinant EBNA-2 expression vectors and genomic LMP1 DNA fragments enhanced LMP1 expression in the EBV-negative B-lymphoma cell lines BJAB, Louckes, and BL30. (v) An EBNA-2-responsive element was found within the -512 to +40 LMP1 DNA since this DNA linked to a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene was transactivated by cotransfection with an EBNA-2 expression vector. (vi) The EBV type 2 EBNA-2 transactivated LMP1 as well as the EBV type 1 EBNA-2. (vii) Two deletions within the EBNA-2 gene which rendered EBV transformation incompetent did not transactivate LMP1, whereas a transformation-competent EBNA-2 deletion mutant did transactivate LMP1. LMP1 is a potent effector of B-lymphocyte activation and can act synergistically with EBNA-2 to induce cellular CD23 gene expression. Thus, EBNA-2 transactivation of LMP1 amplifies the biological impact of EBNA-2 and underscores its central role in EBV-induced growth transformation.     

Host cell-dependent regulation of growth transformation-associated Epstein-Barr virus antigens in somatic cell hybrids.

We have analyzed the expression of the three major known growth transformation-associated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) proteins, EBNA-1, EBNA-2, and latent membrane protein (LMP), in a series of somatic cell hybrids derived from the fusion of EBV-carrying Burkitt lymphoma (BL) lines with EBV-positive or EBV-negative B-cell lines. Independently of the cell phenotype, EBNA-1 was invariably coexpressed in all EBV-carrying hybrids. In hybrids between EBV-carrying, LMP-positive and LMP-negative Burkitt lymphoma lines, LMP was expressed, indicating positive control. Two EBV-negative lymphoma lines, Ramos and BJAB, differed in their ability to express LMP after B95-8 virus-induced conversion and after hybridization with Raji cells. BJAB was permissive while Ramos was nonpermissive for LMP, although both expressed EBNA-2. The EBNA-2-deleted P3HR-1 virus gave the same pattern of LMP expression in these two cells. Our findings indicate that the expression of EBNA-1, EBNA-2, and LMP is regulated by independent mechanisms.     

Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein (LMP1) and nuclear proteins 2 and 3C are effectors of phenotypic changes in B lymphocytes: EBNA-2 and LMP1 cooperatively induce CD23.

Latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and growth transformation of B lymphocytes is characterized by EBV nuclear and membrane protein expression (EBV nuclear antigen [EBNA] and latent membrane protein [LMP], respectively). LMP1 is known to be an oncogene in rodent fibroblasts and to induce B-lymphocyte activation and cellular adhesion molecules in the EBV-negative Burkitt's lymphoma cell line Louckes. EBNA-2 is required for EBV-induced growth transformation; it lowers rodent fibroblast serum dependence and specifically induces the B-lymphocyte activation antigen CD23 in Louckes cells. These initial observations are now extended through an expanded study of EBNA- and LMP1-induced phenotypic effects in a different EBV-negative B-lymphoma cell line, BJAB. LMP1 effects were also evaluated in the EBV-negative B-lymphoma cell line BL41 and the EBV-positive Burkitt's lymphoma cell line, Daudi (Daudi is deleted for EBNA-2 and does not express LMP). Previously described EBNA-2- and LMP1-transfected Louckes cells were studied in parallel. EBNA-2, from EBV-1 strains but not EBV-2, induced CD23 and CD21 expression in transfected BJAB cells. In contrast, EBNA-3C induced CD21 but not CD23, while no changes were evident in vector control-, EBNA-1-, or EBNA-LP-transfected clones. EBNAs did not affect CD10, CD30, CD39, CD40, CD44, or cellular adhesion molecules. LMP1 expression in all cell lines induced growth in large clumps and expression of the cellular adhesion molecules ICAM-1, LFA-1, and LFA-3 in those cell lines which constitutively express low levels. LMP1 expression induced marked homotypic adhesion in the BJAB cell line, despite the fact that there was no significant increase in the high constitutive BJAB LFA-1 and ICAM-1 levels, suggesting that LMP1 also induces an associated functional change in these molecules. LMP1 induction of these cellular adhesion molecules was also associated with increased heterotypic adhesion to T lymphocytes. The Burkitt's lymphoma marker, CALLA (CD10), was uniformly down regulated by LMP1 in all cell lines. In contrast, LMP1 induced unique profiles of B-lymphocyte activation antigens in the various cell lines. LMP1 induced CD23 and CD39 in BJAB; CD23 in Louckes; CD39 and CD40 in BL41; and CD21, CD40, and CD44 in Daudi. In BJAB, CD23 surface and mRNA expression were markedly increased by EBNA-2 and LMP1 coexpression, compared with EBNA-2 or LMP1 alone. This cooperative effect was CD23 specific, since no such effect was observed on another marker, CD21.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

5-Azacytidine up regulates the expression of Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA-2) through EBNA-6 and latent membrane protein in the Burkitt''s lymphoma line rael.

Nonproductive infection of B lymphocytes by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with a highly restricted expression of viral genes. In growth-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines, the products of these genes include a complex of at least six EBV nuclear antigens (EBNAs) (EBNA-1 through EBNA-6) and one membrane protein (latent membrane protein [LMP]). EBV-carrying Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) biopsies and derived cell lines that have retained a representative phenotype (group I BL lines) express only EBNA-1 (M. Rowe, D. T. Rowe, C. D. Gregory, L. S. Young, P. J. Farrell, H. Rupani, and A. B. Rickinson, EMBO J. 6:2743-2751, 1987). We have found that EBNA-2 through EBNA-6 and LMP can be up regulated by treating the group I BL line Rael with the DNA-demethylating agent 5-azacytidine (5-AzaC). The drug acted in a time- and dose-dependent manner. EBNA-2-positive cells were detected by anti-complement immunofluorescence staining just 12 h after addition of 4 microM 5-AzaC and reached a maximum number at 72 h, when up to 75% of the population was positive. EBNA-2, EBNA-3, EBNA-4, EBNA-4, EBNA-6, and LMP were demonstrated immunoblots starting at 48 h. The EBV-encoded early antigens and viral capsid antigens were also induced but at a lower level. EBNA-2 and the lytic cycle-associated antigens appeared with a different time course and in largely nonoverlapping cell subpopulations, as demonstrated by double fluorescence staining. Thus, EBNA-2 expression was not restricted to lytically infected cells, nor was EBNA-2 required for entry into the lytic cycle. The coding and regulatory sequences of EBNA-2 and LMP were found to be highly methylated in Rael cells and were, as expected, demethylated after 5-AzaC treatment. These findings suggest that DNA methylation may participate in the regulation of growth transformation-associated viral genes in BL cells.     

Differential regulation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent gene expression in Burkitt lymphoma cells infected with a recombinant EBV strain

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-negative Burkitt lymphomas (BLs) can be infected in vitro with prototype EBV strains to study how the virus may affect the phenotype of tumor cells. Studies thus far have concentrated on the use of transforming B95-8 and nontransforming P3HR1 strains. Immunological and phenotypic differences between the sublines infected with these two strains were reported. The majority of these differences, if not all, can be attributed to the lack of EBNA-2 coding sequences in the P3HR1 strain. The recent development of a selectable Akata strain has opened up new possibilities for infecting epithelial and T cells as well. We infected five EBV-negative BL lines with the recombinant Akata virus. Our results indicate that the infected cell lines BL28, Ramos, and DG75 express EBNA-1, EBNA-2, and LMP1, the viral proteins associated with type III latency, and use both YUK and QUK splices. In contrast, two EBV-negative variants of Akata and Mutu when reinfected displayed restricted type I latency and expressed only EBNA-1. All clones of infected Mutu cells used the QUK splice exclusively. The usage of Qp was observed in a majority of Akata clones. Some Akata clones, however, were found to have double promoter usage (Qp and C/Wp) but at 4 months after infection did not express EBNA-2. The results demonstrate differential regulation of EBV latency in BLs with the same recombinant viral strain and suggest that the choice of latency type may be cell dependent. The restricted latency observed for infected Akata and Mutu cells indicates that a BL may opt for type I latency in the absence of immune pressure as well.     

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 1 colocalizes with cellular replication foci in the absence of EBV plasmids

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) EBNA-1 is the only EBV-encoded protein that is essential for the once-per-cell-cycle replication and maintenance of EBV plasmids in latently infected cells. EBNA-1 binds to the oriP region of latent EBV plasmids and cellular metaphase chromosomes. In the absence of oriP-containing plasmids, EBNA-1 was highly colocalized with cellular DNA replication foci that were identified by immunostaining S-phase cells for proliferating cell nuclear antigen and replication protein A (RP-A) in combination with DNA short pulse-labeling. For the association of EBNA-1 with the cellular replication focus areas, the EBNA-1 regions of amino acids (aa) 8 to 94 and/or aa 315 to 410, but not the RP-A-interacting carboxy-terminal region, were necessary. These results suggest a new aspect of latent virus-cell interactions.     

Effect of activation of the Epstein-Barr virus genome on expression of B cell differentiation antigens of Burkitt's lymphoma lines

Using anti-human B cell monoclonal antibodies prepared against B1 (CD20), B2 (CD21), B4 (CD19), and BB-1 (B lymphoblast antigen-1), we compared the expression of B cell differentiation antigens on a Jijoye-P3HR-1 cell line family of Burkitt's lymphomas. The expression of BB-1 and B2 antigens was faint on P3HR-1 K cell line which is an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) high producer. On the other hand, B1 and B4 antigens were strongly expressed on it. It was also found that BB-1 expression decreased on P3HR-1 cells after activation of intracellular EBV genes by treating chemically with tumor-promoting agent (TPA) and n-butyrate, or on Raji cells on superinfection with EBV. This decrease of BB-1 was blocked by the additional treatment with retinoic acid, an inhibitor of virus replication. Dual immunofluorescence staining analysis showed that the individual cell expressing EBV-associated antigens expressed BB-1 antigen only marginally. The relationship between the change in phenotypes of host B cells and the activation of the EBV genome is discussed.     

Differential Gene Expression Patterns of EBV Infected EBNA-3A Positive and Negative Human B Lymphocytes

The genome of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) encodes 86 proteins, but only a limited set is expressed in EBV–growth transformed B cells, termed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). These cells proliferate via the concerted action of EBV nuclear antigens (EBNAs) and latent membrane proteins (LMPs), some of which are rate limiting to establish a stable homeostasis of growth promoting and anti-apoptotic activities. We show here that EBV mutants, which lack the EBNA-3A gene, are impaired but can still initiate cell cycle entry and proliferation of primary human B cells in contrast to an EBNA-2 deficient mutant virus. Surprisingly, and in contrast to previous reports, these viral mutants are attenuated in growth transformation assays but give rise to permanently growing EBNA-3A negative B cell lines which exhibit reduced proliferation rates and elevated levels of apoptosis. Expression profiles of EBNA-3A deficient LCLs are characterized by 129 down-regulated and 167 up-regulated genes, which are significantly enriched for genes involved in apoptotic processes or cell cycle progression like the tumor suppressor gene p16/INK4A, or might contribute to essential steps of the viral life cycle in the infected host. In addition, EBNA-3A cellular target genes remarkably overlap with previously identified targets of EBNA-2. This study comprises the first genome wide expression profiles of EBNA-3A target genes generated within the complex network of viral proteins of the growth transformed B cell and permits a more detailed understanding of EBNA-3A''s function and contribution to viral pathogenesis.     

Induced CD25 expression in a human B-lymphoma cell line transfected with the Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 gene.

Two EBV-negative human B-lymphoma cell lines, BJAB and DG75, were transfected with an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA-2) gene, which plays a critical role in the EBV-induced immortalization of primary B lymphocytes. Furthermore, DG75 cells were co-transfected with the EBNA-2 gene and a latent membrane protein (LMP) gene. Expression of eight surface antigens on the resultant EBNA-2-expressing cell clones was analyzed by flowcytometry. None of the EBNA-2-expressing cell clones derived from BJAB and DG75 showed a significant increase in the expression of cell surface marker CD23, of which enhancement by EBNA-2 in a different EBV-negative human B cell line, Louckes, was previously reported. Expression of CD25 (IL-2R/Tac) on cell surface, however, was induced in two of six DG75-derived cell clones. One of the two CD25-induced cell clones was expressing EBNA-2 only, and the other was co-expressing EBNA-2 and LMP. The results suggest that EBNA-2 has a potential to up-regulate CD25 independently of CD23 on human B cells.     

Epstein—Barr病毒基因组在鼻咽癌组织中转录的特征

对ＥＢ病毒基因在鼻咽癌活检组织细胞内的转录进行了较系统的探测。实验结果表明,ＥＢ病毒基因组在鼻咽癌活检组织中以附加体（Ｅｐｉｓｏｍｅ）形式存在,而其基因转录有如下特征：（１）ＥＢ病毒在所有鼻咽癌组织细胞中都表达ＥＢＮＡ－１,并且此基因转录产物由一个在ＢａｍＨＩ－Ｆ区的启动子（Ｆｐ）驱动;（２）潜伏感染膜蛋白（Ｌａｔｅｎｔ ｍｅｍｂｒａｎｅ ｐｒｏｔｅｉｎ,ＬＭＰ）和末端蛋白（Ｔｅｒｍｉｎａｌ ｐｒ     

Epstein-Barr virus gene expression in interferon-treated cells. Implications for the regulation of protein synthesis and the antiviral state

This paper presents data on the effects of interferon treatment on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) gene expression in latently infected Daudi Burkitt's lymphoma cells, and reviews the possible role of viral gene products in the regulation of translation. In Daudi cells the main virally coded RNAs are the small untranslated RNAs EBER-1 and EBER-2, two mRNAs for the DNA binding protein EBNA-1, and a number of small RNAs containing sequences from the BamHI W repeat region of the viral genome. Interferon treatment does not change the qualitative pattern of EBV gene expression but decreases the levels of the EBNA-1 mRNAs. The chromatographic behaviour of EBV-encoded RNAs on CF11-cellulose indicates that many contain double-stranded regions; these RNAs co-purify with RNA that activates the interferon-induced, dsRNA-sensitive protein kinase DAI. Computer analysis indicates that the exons transcribed from the BamHI W repeats have the potential for formation of very stable secondary structures. Many viruses can counteract the inhibition of protein synthesis mediated by the DAI-catalysed phosphorylation of initiation factor eIF-2 and our data suggest that the small RNA EBER-1 may fulfil this function in the EBV system. During the infection and immortalization of B lymphocytes by EBV the synthesis of large amounts of EBER-1 RNA might thus allow the virus to circumvent one of the interferon-mediated mechanisms of host cell defence.     

Host cell and EBNA-2 regulation of Epstein-Barr virus latent-cycle promoter activity in B lymphocytes.

The six latent-cycle nuclear antigens (EBNAs) of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), whose genes share 5' leader exons and two promoters (Cp and Wp), are differentially expressed by cells of the B lineage. To examine the possibility that EBNA gene expression is regulated through selective use of Cp and Wp, we monitored the activity of promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene constructs transfected into EBV-positive and EBV-negative B lymphocytes and Burkitt's lymphoma cells. Wp was a much stronger promoter than Cp in EBV genome-negative B-cell lines and was used exclusively in primary B cells. When B cells were infected with transforming EBV, Cp became the stronger promoter. This switch was not observed when B cells were infected with an immortalization-deficient virus, P3HR-1, which lacks the EBNA-2 open reading frame and expresses a mutant leader protein (EBNA-LP). Cp function was transactivated when EBV-negative or P3HR-1-infected B cells were cotransfected with Cp and a 12-kb fragment of DNA (BamHI-WWYH) that spanned the P3HR-1 deletion. This activity was mapped to the EBNA-2 gene within WWYH; constructs expressing EBNA-LP did not induce Cp function, and the deletion of 405 bp from the EBNA-2 open reading frame abolished transactivation. This research demonstrates host cell and EBNA-2 regulation of latent-cycle promoter activity in B lymphocytes, a mechanism with implications for persistence of EBV-infected lymphoid cells in vivo.