CHARACTERIZATION AND RELATIVE ABUNDANCE OF MAXI-CHLORIDE CHANNELS IN EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS (EBV) PRODUCER - B95-8 CELLS

Several Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed cell lines were used to i nvestigate the pathogenesis of lymphoproliferative diseases and nasoph aryngeal carcinoma. The studies focus on the events occurring inside t he membrane. On only one occasion, the cell membrane of EBV-transforme d B lymphocytes from a cystic fibrosis patient was found to express de fective Cl channels (CFTR; Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance R egula tor), as in the airway epithelial cell. No other type of channel in EBV-transformed cells has so far been investigated. In this study, the cell membrane of the B95-S cell was examined by the patch-clamp t echnique and compared to the non-EBV-infected BJAB cell. The high cond uctance (similar to 300 pS) maxi-chloride (Cl) channel activity was th e most frequently observed event in inside-out configurations. Under s imilar experimental conditions, we have found a significantly higher p robability of detecting maxi-Cl channel activity on the cell membrane of B95-8 cells (69%) than on BJAB cells (27%), or as previously report ed on resting murine B lymphocytes (38%) or intact human T lymphocytes (37%). The relative abundance of the maxi-Cl channel on B95-8 cells m ay be linked to EBV infection and/or secretory ability.