scholarly journals Methylation of the Epstein-Barr Virus Genome in Normal Lymphocytes

Blood ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 90 (11) ◽  
pp. 4480-4484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith D. Robertson ◽  
Richard F. Ambinder
Keyword(s):  
B Cells ◽  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Defense Mechanism ◽  
Immune Surveillance ◽  
Virus Genome ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
The Face ◽  
Ebv Dna ◽  
Epstein Barr

Abstract Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent infection in B cells persists over years or decades despite a sustained cytotoxic immune response to viral antigens. We present data that methylated EBV DNA can be detected in the normal lymphocytes of healthy volunteers. Whereas methylation of foreign DNA has been recognized as a potential cellular defense mechanism, methylation of EBV DNA may be an essential part of the virus life cycle in vivo, explaining the persistence of virus-infected B cells in the face of immune surveillance. Methylation of the C promoter helps to prevent expression of the immunodominant antigens expressed from this promoter. First recognized in tumors, methylation-associated evasion of immune surveillance is not an aberration restricted to tumor tissue but is detected in normal EBV-infected lymphocytes. Methylation of the viral genome in latency also provides an explanation for the CpG suppression associated with EBV but not other large DNA viruses.

scholarly journals Methylation of the Epstein-Barr Virus Genome in Normal Lymphocytes

Blood ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 90 (11) ◽  
pp. 4480-4484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith D. Robertson ◽  
Richard F. Ambinder
Keyword(s):  
B Cells ◽  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Defense Mechanism ◽  
Immune Surveillance ◽  
Virus Genome ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
The Face ◽  
Ebv Dna ◽  
Epstein Barr

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent infection in B cells persists over years or decades despite a sustained cytotoxic immune response to viral antigens. We present data that methylated EBV DNA can be detected in the normal lymphocytes of healthy volunteers. Whereas methylation of foreign DNA has been recognized as a potential cellular defense mechanism, methylation of EBV DNA may be an essential part of the virus life cycle in vivo, explaining the persistence of virus-infected B cells in the face of immune surveillance. Methylation of the C promoter helps to prevent expression of the immunodominant antigens expressed from this promoter. First recognized in tumors, methylation-associated evasion of immune surveillance is not an aberration restricted to tumor tissue but is detected in normal EBV-infected lymphocytes. Methylation of the viral genome in latency also provides an explanation for the CpG suppression associated with EBV but not other large DNA viruses.

scholarly journals Acyclovir Improves the Efficacy of Chemoradiation in Nasopharyngeal Cancer Containing the Epstein Barr Virus Genome

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditya Thandoni ◽  
Andrew Zloza ◽  
Devora Schiff ◽  
Malay Rao ◽  
Kwok-wai Lo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Immune Surveillance ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Cancer ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Virus Genome ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
Standard Of Care Treatment ◽  
Epstein Barr

AbstractNasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignancy endemic to East Asia and is caused by Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-mediated cancerous transformation of epithelial cells. The standard of care treatment for NPC involves radiation and chemotherapy. While treatment outcomes continue to improve, up to 50% of patients can be expected to recur by five years, and additional innovative treatment options are needed. We posit that a potential way to do this is by targeting the underlying cause of malignant transformation, namely EBV. One method by which EBV escapes immune surveillance is by undergoing latent phase replication, during which EBV expression of immunogenic proteins is reduced. However, chemoradiation is known to drive conversion of EBV from a latent to a lytic phase. This creates an opportunity for the targeting of EBV-infected cells utilizing anti-viral drugs. Indeed, we found that combining acyclovir with cisplatin and radiation significantly decreases the viability of the EBV-infected C666-1 cell line. Western blot quantification revealed a resultant increase of thymidine kinase (TK) and apoptosis-inducing mediators, cleaved PARP (cPARP) and phosphorylated ERK (pERK). These studies suggest that the addition of anti-viral drugs to frontline chemoradiation may improve outcomes in patients treated for EBV-related NPC and future in vivo and clinical studies are needed.

Detection of lymphocytes productively infected with Epstein–Barr virus in non-neoplastic tonsils

Microbiology ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 1211-1216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuya Ikeda ◽  
Ryo Kobayashi ◽  
Manabu Horiuchi ◽  
Yoshifumi Nagata ◽  
Makoto Hasegawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Immune Surveillance ◽  
Lymphoid Tissues ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
Multiple Copies ◽  
The Face ◽  
Infected Cells ◽  
Epstein Barr

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) persists for life in the infected host. Little is known about EBV reactivation and regulation of virus persistence in healthy individuals. We examined tonsils of chronic tonsillitis patients to detect EBV transcripts, EBV genomes and lytic proteins. LMP1 transcripts were observed in 11 of 15 specimens and BZLF1 transcripts were detected in six. Multiple copies of EBV genome equivalents per cell, and ZEBRA- and viral capsid antigen-positive cells were also detected in tonsillar lymphocytes. These results indicate that EBV productively infected cells may survive in the face of immune surveillance in the tonsils. Thus, EBV replication may occur in tonsillar lymphocytes, and tonsillar lymphoid tissues may play a role in the maintenance of EBV load in vivo.

scholarly journals Epstein-Barr Virus LMP2A Alters In Vivo and In Vitro Models of B-Cell Anergy, but Not Deletion, in Response to Autoantigen

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (12) ◽  
pp. 7355-7362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle A. Swanson-Mungerson ◽  
Robert G. Caldwell ◽  
Rebecca Bultema ◽  
Richard Longnecker
Keyword(s):  
B Cells ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Nuclear Translocation ◽  
Cell Receptor ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Epstein Barr

ABSTRACT A significant percentage of the population latently harbors Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in B cells. One EBV-encoded protein, latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A), is expressed in tissue culture models of EBV latent infection, in human infections, and in many of the EBV-associated proliferative disorders. LMP2A constitutively activates proteins involved in the B-cell receptor (BCR) signal transduction cascade and inhibits the antigen-induced activation of these proteins. In the present study, we investigated whether LMP2A alters B-cell receptor signaling in primary B cells in vivo and in vitro. LMP2A does not inhibit antigen-induced tolerance in response to strong stimuli in an in vivo tolerance model in which B cells are reactive to self-antigen. In contrast, LMP2A bypasses anergy induction in response to low levels of soluble hen egg lysozyme (HEL) both in vivo and in vitro as determined by the ability of LMP2A-expressing HEL-specific B cells to proliferate and induce NF-κB nuclear translocation after exposure to low levels of antigen. Furthermore, LMP2A induces NF-κB nuclear translocation independent of BCR cross-linking. Since NF-κB is required to bypass tolerance induction, this LMP2A-dependent NF-κB activation may complete the tolerogenic signal induced by low levels of soluble HEL. Overall, the findings suggest that LMP2A may not inhibit BCR-induced signals under all conditions as previously suggested by studies with EBV immortalized B cells.

scholarly journals Antibodies to gp350/220 Enhance the Ability of Epstein-Barr Virus To Infect Epithelial Cells

2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (19) ◽  
pp. 9628-9633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Turk ◽  
Ru Jiang ◽  
Liudmila S. Chesnokova ◽  
Lindsey M. Hutt-Fletcher
Keyword(s):  
B Cells ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Lytic Cycle ◽  
Virus Envelope ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
High Risk Populations ◽  
Epstein Barr

ABSTRACT Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a persistent, orally transmitted herpesvirus that replicates in B cells and epithelial cells and is associated with lymphoid and epithelial malignancies. The virus binds to CD21 on B cells via glycoprotein gp350/220 and infects efficiently. Infection of cultured epithelial cells has not typically been efficient but can occur in the absence of gp350/220 and CD21 and in vivo is thought to be important to the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. We report here that antibodies to gp350/220, which inhibit EBV infection of B cells, enhance infection of epithelial cells. The effect is not mediated by Fc receptor binding but is further enhanced by antibody cross-linking, which may patch gp350/220 in the virus envelope. Saliva from EBV-seropositive individuals has similar effects that can be reversed by depletion of antibody. The results are consistent with a model in which gp350/220 interferes with the access of other important players to the epithelial cell surface. The results may have implications for the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in high-risk populations in which elevated titers of antibody to EBV lytic cycle proteins are prognostic.

scholarly journals Mouse model of Epstein–Barr virus LMP1- and LMP2A-driven germinal center B-cell lymphoproliferative disease

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (18) ◽  
pp. 4751-4756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeharu Minamitani ◽  
Yijie Ma ◽  
Hufeng Zhou ◽  
Hiroshi Kida ◽  
Chao-Yuan Tsai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
B Cells ◽  
Mouse Model ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Germinal Center ◽  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Nk Cell ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
Epstein Barr

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a major cause of immunosuppression-related B-cell lymphomas and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). In these malignancies, EBV latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) and LMP2A provide infected B cells with surrogate CD40 and B-cell receptor growth and survival signals. To gain insights into their synergistic in vivo roles in germinal center (GC) B cells, from which most EBV-driven lymphomas arise, we generated a mouse model with conditional GC B-cell LMP1 and LMP2A coexpression. LMP1 and LMP2A had limited effects in immunocompetent mice. However, upon T- and NK-cell depletion, LMP1/2A caused massive plasmablast outgrowth, organ damage, and death. RNA-sequencing analyses identified EBV oncoprotein effects on GC B-cell target genes, including up-regulation of multiple proinflammatory chemokines and master regulators of plasma cell differentiation. LMP1/2A coexpression also up-regulated key HL markers, including CD30 and mixed hematopoietic lineage markers. Collectively, our results highlight synergistic EBV membrane oncoprotein effects on GC B cells and provide a model for studies of their roles in immunosuppression-related lymphoproliferative diseases.

scholarly journals Points of Recombination in Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Strain P3HR-1-Derived Heterogeneous DNA as Indexes to EBV DNA Recombinogenic Events In Vivo

2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (23) ◽  
pp. 11516-11525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazufumi Ikuta ◽  
Shamala K. Srinivas ◽  
Tim Schacker ◽  
Jun-ichi Miyagi ◽  
Rona S. Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Lymphoid Cells ◽  
Defective Interfering Particles ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
Ebv Reactivation ◽  
Pcr Products ◽  
Ebv Dna ◽  
Epstein Barr

ABSTRACT Deletions and rearrangements in the genome of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) strain P3HR-1 generate subgenomic infectious particles that, unlike defective interfering particles in other viral systems, enhance rather than restrict EBV replication in vitro. Reports of comparable heterogeneous (het) DNA in EBV-linked human diseases, based on detection of an abnormal juxtaposition of EBV DNA fragments BamHI W and BamHI Z that disrupts viral latency, prompted us to determine at the nucleotide level all remaining recombination joints formed by the four constituent segments of P3HR-1-derived het DNA. Guided by endonuclease restriction maps, we chose PCR primer pairs that approximated and framed junctions creating the unique BamHI M/B1 and E/S fusion fragments. Sequencing of PCR products revealed points of recombination that lacked regions of extensive homology between constituent fragments. Identical recombination junctions were detected by PCR in EBV-positive salivary samples from human immunodeficiency virus-infected donors, although the W/Z rearrangement that induces EBV reactivation was frequently found in the absence of the other two. In vitro infection of lymphoid cells similarly indicated that not all three het DNA rearrangements need to reside on a composite molecule. These results connote a precision in the recombination process that dictates both composition and regulation of gene segments altered by genomic rearrangement. Moreover, the apparent frequency of het DNA at sites of EBV replication in vivo is consistent with a likely contribution to the pathogenesis of EBV reactivation.

Expression of Epstein-Barr Virus BamHI-A Rightward Transcripts in Latently Infected B Cells From Peripheral Blood

Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 93 (9) ◽  
pp. 3026-3032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Honglin Chen ◽  
Paul Smith ◽  
Richard F. Ambinder ◽  
S. Diane Hayward
Keyword(s):  
B Cells ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Viral Gene ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
Restricted Form ◽  
Latently Infected ◽  
Epstein Barr

In addition to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) EBNA and LMP latency genes, there is a family of alternatively spliced BamHI-A rightward transcripts (BARTs). These latency transcripts are highly expressed in the EBV-associated malignancies nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Burkitt’s lymphoma, and are expressed at lower levels in latently EBV-infected B-cell lines. The contribution of the BARTs to EBV biology or pathogenesis is unknown. Resting B cells have recently been recognized as a reservoir for EBV persistence in the peripheral blood. In these cells, EBV gene expression is tightly restricted and the only viral gene known to be consistently expressed is LMP2A. We used cell sorting and reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to examine whether BARTs are expressed in the restricted form of in vivo latency. Our results demonstrated that RNAs with splicing diagnostic for transcripts containing the BART RPMS1 and BARFO open-reading frames (ORFs) were expressed in CD19+ but not in CD23+ B cells isolated from peripheral blood of healthy individuals. The product of the proximal RPMS1 ORF has not previously been characterized. The RPMS1 ORF was shown to encode a 15-kD protein that localized to the nucleus of transfected cells. Expression of the BARTs in peripheral blood B cells suggests that the proteins encoded by these transcripts are likely to be important for maintenance of in vivo latency.

scholarly journals Nuclear Factor-κB Binds to the Epstein-Barr Virus LMP1 Promoter and Upregulates Its Expression

2008 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 1393-1401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pegah Johansson ◽  
Ann Jansson ◽  
Ulla Rüetschi ◽  
Lars Rymo
Keyword(s):  
B Cells ◽  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Affinity Purification ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
Exogenous Expression ◽  
Epstein Barr

ABSTRACT The latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) oncogene carried by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is essential for transformation and maintenance of EBV-immortalized B cells in vitro, and it is expressed in most EBV-associated tumor types. The activation of the NF-κB pathway by LMP1 plays a critical role in the upregulation of antiapoptotic proteins. The EBV-encoded EBNA2 transactivator is required for LMP1 activation in latency III, while LMP1 itself appears to be critical for its activation in the latency II gene expression program. In both cases, additional viral and cellular transcription factors are required in mediating transcription activation of the LMP1 promoter. Using DNA affinity purification and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, we showed here that members of the NF-κB transcription factor family bound to the LMP1 promoter in vitro and in vivo. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay analyses indicated the binding of the p50-p50 homodimer and the p65-p50 heterodimer to an NF-κB site in the LMP1 promoter. Transient transfections and reporter assays showed that the LMP1 promoter is activated by exogenous expression of NF-κB factors in both B cells and epithelial cells. Exogenous expression of NF-κB factors in the EBNA2-deficient P3HR1 cell line induced LMP1 protein expression. Overall, our data are consistent with the presence of a positive regulatory circuit between NF-κB activation and LMP1 expression.

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