The Epstein-Barr Virus BARF1 Gene Encodes a Novel, Soluble Colony-Stimulating Factor-1 Receptor |
| |
| Authors: | Laura D. Strockbine Jeffrey I. Cohen Terry Farrah Stewart D. Lyman Felecia Wagener Robert F. DuBose Richard J. Armitage Melanie K. Spriggs |
| |
| Affiliation: | Immunex Corporation, Seattle, Washington 98101,1. and Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 208922. |
| |
| Abstract: | Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus associated with infectious mononucleosis and several tumors. The BARF1 gene is transcribed early after EBV infection from the BamHI A fragment of the EBV genome. Evidence shown here indicates that the BARF1 protein is secreted into the medium of transfected cells and from EBV-carrying B cells induced to allow lytic replication of the virus. Expression cloning identified colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) as a ligand for BARF1. Computer-assisted analyses indicated that subtle amino acid sequence homology exists between BARF1 and c-fms, the cellular proto-oncogene that is the receptor for CSF-1. Recombinant BARF1 protein was found to be biologically active, and it neutralized the proliferative effects of human CSF-1 in a dose-dependent fashion when assayed in vitro. Since CSF-1 is a pleiotropic cytokine best known for its differentiating effects on macrophages, these data suggest that BARF1 may function to modulate the host immune response to EBV infection. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
