A SUBPOPULATION OF NORMAL B-CELLS LATENTLY INFECTED WITH EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS RESEMBLES BURKITT-LYMPHOMA CELLS IN EXPRESSING EBNA-1 BUT NOT EBNA-2 OR LMP1

Using reverse transcription of whole cellular RNA and nested PCR, we h ave performed experiments mixing different proportions of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-carrying and EBV-negative cells. Based on the results, a method that detects viral transcripts for EBNA-1, EBNA-2, LMP1, and LM P2a from less than one positive cell among 10(5) negative cells was de veloped. With this method we have shown that the EBV DNA positive cell s among small, high-density peripheral blood B-lymphocytes of normal h ealthy persons express EBNA-1-mRNA but not EBNA-2 or LMP1. A similar E BV expression pattern is found in type I Burkitt lymphoma cells. We su ggest that the expression pattern in the lymphoma cells reflects the v iral strategy in normal resting B cells and meets the requirements of latent persistence.