Peripheral blood lymphocytes express recombination-activating genes 1 and 2 during Epstein-Barr virus-induced infectious mononucleosis.
Implicit in the persistence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in B lymphocytes is the successful circumvention of ongoing cell selection for competence of B cell receptors (BCRs). Because the EBV infection of B cells in vitro induces enzymatic machinery that is responsible for secondary immunoglobulin gene rearrangement, we examined the expression of the recombination-activating genes (RAGs) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 26 patients with infectious mononucleosis (IM). RAG1 and/or RAG2 RNA was detected in PBMCs from 42% of patients with IM but not from healthy control subjects. EBV may usurp the cellular mechanism that diversifies the BCR, to guarantee a level of survival signaling sufficient for its own persistence.
Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport 71130, USA.
Hans-Joachim
HJ
Wagner
Rona S
RS
Scott
Dedra
D
Buchwald
John W
JW
Sixbey
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D016654:Genes, RAG-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D007244:Infectious Mononucleosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C499311:RAG2 protein, human; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C064655:V(D)J recombination activating protein 2