Different localization of epstein-barr virus genome in two subclones of the burkitt lymphoma cell line namalwa

ABSTRACT Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is etiologically associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). EBV-positive BL tumors display two latent forms of infection. One is referred to as latency I infection, in which EBV expresses the virus genome maintenance protein EBNA1 as the only viral protein. The other is referred to as Wp-restricted latency and was recently identified in a subset of BL tumors. In these tumors, EBV expresses EBNA1, EBNA3A, EBNA3B, EBNA3C, a truncated form of EBNA-LP, and the viral Bcl-2 homologue BHRF1, all of which are driven by the BamHI W promoter (Wp). To investigate the role of EBV in Wp-restricted BL, we conditionally expressed a dominant-negative EBNA1 (dnEBNA1) mutant which interrupts the virus genome maintenance function of EBNA1 in the P3HR-1 BL cell line. Induction of dnEBNA1 expression caused loss of the EBV genome and resulted in apoptosis of P3HR-1 cells in the absence of exogenous apoptosis inducers, indicating that P3HR-1 cells cannot survive without EBV. Stable transfection of the BHRF1 gene into P3HR-1 cells rescued the cells from the apoptosis induced by dnEBNA1 expression, whereas stable transfection of truncated EBNA-LP, EBNA3A, or EBNA3C did not. Moreover, knockdown of BHRF1 expression in P3HR-1 cells resulted in increased cell death. These results indicate that EBV is essential for the survival of P3HR-1 cells and that BHRF1 functions as a survival factor. Our finding implies a critical contribution of BHRF1 to the pathogenesis of Wp-restricted BLs.

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Molecular cloning of complex chromosomal translocation t(8;14;12)(q24.1;q32.3;q24.1) in a Burkitt lymphoma cell line defines a new gene (BCL7A) with homology to caldesmon

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v87.8.3124.bloodjournal8783124 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 87 (8) ◽

pp. 3124-3134 ◽

Cited By ~ 76

Author(s):

VJ Zani ◽

N Asou ◽

D Jadayel ◽

JM Heward ◽

J Shipley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Line ◽

Molecular Cloning ◽

Burkitt Lymphoma ◽

Cpg Island ◽

Lymphoma Cell ◽

High Grade ◽

Lymphoma Cell Line ◽

First Intron ◽

Burkitt Lymphoma Cell ◽

Burkitt Lymphoma Cell Line

Chromosome 12q24.1 is a recurrent breakpoint in high-grade B-cell non- Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). To identify the genes involved at 12q24.1, molecular cloning of a three-way translocation t(8;14;12)(q24.1;q32.3;q24.1) in a Burkitt lymphoma cell line (Wien 133) was performed; all four translocation breakpoints were cloned and sequenced. Analysis of clones encompassing the der(12)(12;14)(q24.1;q32.3) breakpoint showed a CpG island from chromosome 12q24.1 juxtaposed in a tail-to-tail configuration with a productively rearranged Ig VH4-DH-JH5 gene. A total of 4.5 kb of genomic DNA including the CpG island was sequenced and analyzed using gene-identification programs; all three programs identified a potential 92-bp exon within the centromeric boundary of the CpG island. Using this as a probe, an RNA transcript of 3.8 kb, expressed at low levels in a wide variety of normal tissues, was detected. Overlapping cDNA clones were isolated and sequenced. The longest open-reading frame predicted a serine-rich protein of 231 amino acids. This protein, termed BCL7A, exhibited no recognizable protein motifs but showed homology with the actin-binding protein, caldesmon. In Wien 133, the BCL7A breakpoint occurred within the first intron and resulted in a MYC- BCL7A fusion transcript, with exon I of BCL7A being replaced by MYC exon I. The normal, untranslocated allele of BCL7A was also expressed without mutation. One of the 11 other B-NHL cell lines examined with 12q24.1 cytogenetic abnormalities, a mediastinal B-NHL cell line (Karpas 1106), showed biallelic rearrangement within the first intron of BCL7A, which was adjacent to the breakpoint observed in Wien 133. Disruption of the amino-terminus of BCL7A defines a new mechanism in the pathogenesis of a subset of high-grade B-NHL.

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