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Journal of Virology, August 2005, p. 10709-10717, Vol. 79, No. 16
0022-538X/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.79.16.10709-10717.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen 2 (EBNA2) Gene Deletion Is Consistently Linked with EBNA3A, -3B, and -3C Expression in Burkitt's Lymphoma Cells and with Increased Resistance to Apoptosis

Cancer Research UK Institute for Cancer Studies, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom,¹ Department of Gene Vectors, GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health, Marchioninistrasse 25, Munich D-81377, Germany²

Received 27 January 2005/ Accepted 4 May 2005

Most Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive Burkitt's lymphomas (BLs) carry a wild-type EBV genome and express EBV nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) selectively from the BamHI Q promoter (latency I). Recently we identified a distinct subset of BLs carrying both wild-type and EBNA2 gene-deleted (transformation-defective) viral genomes. The cells displayed an atypical "BamHI W promoter (Wp)-restricted" form of latency where Wp (rather than Qp) was active and EBNA1, -3A, -3B, -3C, and -LP were expressed in the absence of EBNA2 or latent membrane proteins 1 and 2. Here we present data strongly supporting the view that the EBNA2-deleted genome is transcriptionally active in these cells and the wild-type genome is silent. Single-cell cloning of three parental Wp-restricted BL lines generated clones carrying either both viral genomes or the EBNA2-deleted genome only, never clones with the wild-type genome only. All rescued clones displayed the Wp-restricted form of latency characteristic of the parent line and retained the original parent cell phenotype. Interestingly, Wp-restricted parent lines and derived clones were markedly more resistant to inducers of apoptosis than standard latency I BL lines. Furthermore, in vitro infection of EBV-negative BL lines with an EBNA2 gene-deleted virus generated EBV-positive converts with Wp-restricted latency and a similarly marked apoptosis resistance. We postulate that, in the subset of BLs displaying Wp-restricted latency, infection of a tumor progenitor cell with an EBNA2 gene-deleted virus has provided that cell with a survival advantage through broadening antigen expression to include the EBNA3 proteins.

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