Epstein-Barr virus WZhet DNA can induce lytic replication in epithelial cells in vitro, although WZhet is not detectable in many human tissues in vivo.
OBJECTIVE
WZhet is a rearranged and partially deleted form of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome in which the BamH1W region becomes juxtaposed with and activates BZLF1, resulting in constitutive viral replication. We tested whether WZhet induces viral replication in epithelial cells, and we studied its prevalence in a wide range of lesional tissues arising in vivo.


METHODS
A quantitative real-time PCR assay targeting EBV WZhet DNA was developed to measure this recombinant form of the EBV genome.


RESULTS
WZhet DNA was undetectable in any of 324 plasma or paraffin-embedded tissue samples from patients with EBV-associated and EBV-negative disorders. These included specimens from patients with Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, post-transplant lymphoproliferation, nasopharyngeal or gastric adenocarcinoma, and infectious mononucleosis. However, WZhet DNA was detected in vitro in EBV-infected AGS gastric cancer cells. Additionally, transient transfection of infected AGS gastric cancer cells showed that viral replication could be induced by a WZhet plasmid.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first evidence that WZhet induces the EBV lytic cycle in an epithelial cell line. Our negative findings in natural settings suggest that WZhet is a defective viral product that thrives in the absence of a host immune system but is rarely present in vivo.
Department of Dermatology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, N.Y., USA.
Julie L
JL
Ryan
Richard J
RJ
Jones
Sandra H
SH
Elmore
Shannon C
SC
Kenney
George
G
Miller
Jane C
JC
Schroeder
Margaret L
ML
Gulley
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000502:physiology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000821:virology*; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007244:Infectious Mononucleosis / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014779:Virus Replication
D004279:DNA, Viral