Epstein-Barr virus infection of rat lymphocytes expressing human CD21 results in restricted latent viral gene expression and not in immunoblastic transformation.
Transgenic rats expressing human CD21 gene (hCD21) driven by the mouse immunoglobulin enhancer were generated. hCD21 was expressed in lymphoid tissues, especially in the spleen and in the brain. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that about 20% of spleen cells, most having a B-lymphocyte marker, expressed hCD21. After Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection of spleen cells, EBV-determined nuclear antigen (EBNA) was first detected on Day 4 and reached a maximum of 0.3% on Day 5, but the infection was abortive and was not followed by blastogenesis, cellular DNA synthesis or proliferation. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses demonstrated that EBV-infected spleen cells expressed EBNA1 and EBV-encoded small RNA (EBER), but not other latent EBV products. EBNA promoter analysis by RT-PCR indicated that the Q promoter was active, whereas C and W promoters were not active. The present findings indicate that human and rat lymphocytes respond to EBV infection differently in vitro.
Yang
Lixin
L
Department of Tumor Virology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
Ikeda
Hitoshi
H
Lai
Yurong
Y
Yoshiki
Takashi
T
Takada
Kenzo
K
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology*; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D023421:Models, Animal; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d / Q000502:physiology*
D004279:DNA, Viral; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens; D012367:RNA, Viral; D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d