Regulation of C-FGR proto-oncogene expression in epstein-barr virus infected B-cell lines

✍ Scribed by Mukesh Patel; Sally J. Leevers; Paul M. Brickell

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 732 KB
• Volume: 45
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.2910450222

✦ Synopsis

We and others have previously shown that in vitro conversion of Epstein-Barr virus (EBqnegative Burkitt lymphoma (BL) cell lines with the immortalizing 895-8 strain of EBV results in a marked elevation in levels of c-fgr proto-oncogene mRNA. We now show, using a nuclear run-off assay, that this induction results from an increase in the rate of transcription of the c-fgr gene. We also show that BL cell lines freshly converted with the non-immortalizing HR-I strain of EBV do not accumulate higher levels of c-fgr mRNA, suggesting that EBNA-2 and/or LMP, the genes which are deleted in the HR-I !train, may be involved in the pathway which leads to changes in c-fgr gene expression. In order to assess the generality of a role for the c-fgr gene in the response of B-lymphocytes to EBV-infection, which is controversial, we have analysed c-fgr expression in 6 freshly immortalized cell lines established by EBV (B95-8) infection of B-lymphocytes from the peripheral blood of normal adults and of adults with rheumatoid arthritis, from cord blood, and from foetal liver. All 6 cell lines expressed c-fgr mRNA at elevated levels compared to EBVnegative BL cell lines.