TY - JOUR
T1 - Epstein-Barr virus and the somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin genes in Burkitt's lymphoma cells
AU - Harris, RS
AU - Croom-Carter, Deborah
AU - Rickinson, Alan
AU - Neuberger, MS
PY - 2001/11/1
Y1 - 2001/11/1
N2 - It has been suggested that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) might suppress antibody maturation either by facilitating bypass of the germinal center reaction or by inhibiting hypermutation directly. However, by infecting the Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell line Ramos, which hypermutates constitutively and can be considered a transformed analogue of a germinal center B cell, with EBV as well as by transfecting it with selected EBV latency genes, we demonstrate that expression of EBV gene products does not lead to an inhibition of hypermutation. Moreover, we have identified two natural EBV-positive BL cell lines (ELI-BL and BL16) that hypermutate constitutively. Thus, contrary to expectations, EBV gene products do not appear to affect somatic hypermutation.
AB - It has been suggested that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) might suppress antibody maturation either by facilitating bypass of the germinal center reaction or by inhibiting hypermutation directly. However, by infecting the Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell line Ramos, which hypermutates constitutively and can be considered a transformed analogue of a germinal center B cell, with EBV as well as by transfecting it with selected EBV latency genes, we demonstrate that expression of EBV gene products does not lead to an inhibition of hypermutation. Moreover, we have identified two natural EBV-positive BL cell lines (ELI-BL and BL16) that hypermutate constitutively. Thus, contrary to expectations, EBV gene products do not appear to affect somatic hypermutation.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0034790445&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1128/JVI.75.21.10488-10492.2001
DO - 10.1128/JVI.75.21.10488-10492.2001
M3 - Article
C2 - 11581418
SN - 1098-5514
VL - 75
SP - 10488
EP - 10492
JO - Journal of virology
JF - Journal of virology
IS - 21
ER -