title: Expression and analysis of the Epstein-Barr virus BARF1-encoded protein from a tetracycline-regulatable adenovirus system.
abstract: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been associated with human cancers of lymphocytic or epithelial origin. Potential functions of the BARF1 early gene in EBV oncogenesis emerged from our observations showing expression of BARF1-encoded protein in nasopharyngeal carcinoma biopsies, and induction of either malignant transformation (in rodent fibroblast and human B cell lines) or immortalization (in monkey primary epithelial cells) following BARF1 transfection. We previously reported expression of the BARF1 product as a cytoplasm/membrane-associated protein from 293-tTA cells infected with a BARF1-recombinant adenovirus. Since constitutive expression of BARF1 from this heterologous system became inefficient, we developed a tetracycline-regulatable recombinant vector expressing BARF1 and green fluorescent protein from a dicistronic message. As here reported, stable and efficient expression of BARF1 from this vector in either permissive or non-permissive cell lines, allowed the first sequencing identification and further molecular characterization of BARF1-encoded protein.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Virologie Moléculaire, UMR 5537 CNRS, Faculté de Médecine R.T.H. Laennec, rue G. Paradin, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France. tessier@sante.univ-lyon1.fr
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Turenne-Tessier
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jolicoeur
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Middeldorp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ooka
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013752:Tetracycline; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: C086495:BARF1 protein, Human herpesvirus 4; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D013752:Tetracycline