Three epstein-barr virus (EBV)-determined nuclear antigens induced by the BamHI E region of EBV DNA

✍ Scribed by Norio Shimizu; Mitsuo Yamaki; Sadatoshi Sakuma; Yasushi Ono; Kenzo Takada

• Book ID: 102866320
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 879 KB
• Volume: 41
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.2910410518

✦ Synopsis

In our previous study (Takada et a/., 1986a), we showed that the BamHl E fragment of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) D N A induces a nuclear antigen that is detected by human antisera against EBV-determined nuclear antigen (EBNA), when transfected into baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells. The present study shows that the sub-fragment containing the central open reading frame BERF2b of the BamHl E fragment (Baer eta/., 1984) is responsible for nuclear antigen induction. In addition, 2 fragments corresponding to 2 other open reading frames of the BamHl E, BERF I and BERF4 also induce nuclear antigens upon transfection into BHK cells. These 3 antigens, designated RF2b, RFI and RF4 antigens, were serologically classified as EBNA and antigenically distinct. In immunoblotting analysis of latently EBV-infected BJ-895-8 cells, 3 high-molecularweight polypeptides (136, 142 and 147 kDa) were identified by anti-EBNA sera. lmmunoblotting analysis of transfected BHK cells indicated that the RF2b antigen is 145 kDa in its native form and antigenically related to the 147-kDa protein of BJ-895-8 cells. Although RF I and RF4 antigens were not detected by immunoblotting, reactivities of sera with RFI and RF4 antigens in the immunofluorescence test were correlated with those of sera with the 136-and 142-kDa polypeptides of BJ-895-8 cells, respectively. The results suggest that 3 high-molecular-weight proteins of latently EBV-infected cells are encoded by 3 open reading frames of the BamHl E DNA fragment.

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