Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1992. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
TRANSCRIPTION OF THE EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS IN HUMAN EPITHELIUM: IMPLICATIONS FOR NEOPLASIA
Diss Abstr Int [B]; 52(1):53 1991. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICDB/92677126 Gilligan KJ; Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Abstract:
It has been proposed that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) gene products expressed in infected cells interact either alone or in conjunction with cellular genes involved with the normal processes of cell maintenance and allow for the changes necessary for uncontrolled cellular proliferation and neoplasia. The goal of this study was to examine NPC tissue for expression of EBV RNAs, in order to determine which EBV genes are consistently expressed in NPC. We have examined a number of NPCs for the presence of EBV RNAs. Abundant viral transcription was detected near the right end of the linear genome in BamHI A and BamHI Nhet by Northern blot analysis. Detected RNAs were further characterized by sequencing of viral cDNAs cloned from a library of one NPC, C15. Our data confirm the presence of several EBV-specific mRNAs which may have implications for neoplasia. Mapping studies of these RNAs indicate the expression of newly identified EBV latent transcripts which are characterized by the utilization of alternative promoter or splicing pathways. One of these genes, LMP, is a potential viral oncoprotein. Other RNAs transcribed from the BamHI A region seem to be expressed in a tissue-specific manner and contain a newly identified open reading frame which is expressed in vivo in patients with NPC. To broaden our understanding of EBV transcription in epithelial cells, biopsies of oral 'hairy' leukoplakia (OHL), a tongue lesion common in HIV-infected individuals, were examined for EBV RNA expression. All four temporal classes of RNAs were detected in biopsy samples of OHL, supporting data indicating this infection is totally lytic. The EBERs were not detected, indicating that the EBERs are not expressed during viral replication. These data indicate that the EBERs, LMP and a message encoding a new open reading frame, BARFO, are consistently expressed in NPC. The expression of LMP in NPC in the absence of EBNA 2 and the expression of an alternative LMP mRNA indicates that the expression of this critical viral function is controlled differently in lymphoid cells and epithelial cells. The selective expression of BARFO in epithelial cells supports the observation that the mechanism of latent gene control is different in the two cell types. The lack of EBER expression in oral 'hairy' leukoplakia indicate that these RNAs are not required for replication. (Full text available from University Microfilms International, Ann Arbor, MI, as Order No. AAD91-15630).
Keywords: Epithelium/MICROBIOLOGY Herpesvirus 4, Human/*GENETICS Human Leukoplakia, Oral/MICROBIOLOGY Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/*MICROBIOLOGY RNA, Viral/*ANALYSIS *Transcription, Genetic Virus Replication THESIS
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Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1992. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
