title: Epstein-Barr virus exploits the normal cell pathway to regulate Rb activity during the immortalisation of primary B-cells.
abstract: Infection of human primary B-lymphocytes with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) drives quiescent cells into continual proliferation and results in the outgrowth of immortal cell lines. This requires re-programming of the mechanisms that, in the absence of appropriate antigenic stimulation, normally prevent the proliferation of B-lymphocytes. Since the Retinoblastoma protein (pRb) and its relatives, p107 and p130, play critical roles in controlling the mammalian cell division cycle, we have investigated the expression and phosphorylation status of these proteins following EBV immortalisation of primary B-lymphocytes. In this report, we show that EBV drives the hyperphosphorylation of pRb. This is achieved by a strategy involving the altered expression of several components of the signal transduction pathway that normally regulates the phosphorylation status of pRb, including the up regulation of a number of cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases and the down regulation of a subset of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors. The net result is the formation of active cyclin-dependent kinase complexes that are capable of phosphorylating and inactivating pRb. The results presented here identify the activation of a normal signal transduction pathway as an important component of the strategy used by EBV to drive cell proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Imperial College School of Medicine at St. Mary's Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Cannell
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Farrell
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sinclair
mesh_terms: D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; D050760:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27; D016213:Cyclins / Q000378:metabolism; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011506:Proteins; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D050720:Retinoblastoma-Like Protein p107; D050717:Retinoblastoma-Like Protein p130; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; D016213:Cyclins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011506:Proteins; C493844:RBL1 protein, human; C493837:RBL2 protein, human; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein; D050720:Retinoblastoma-Like Protein p107; D050717:Retinoblastoma-Like Protein p130; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D050760:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27