Yn. Gao et al., INDUCTION OF AN EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH-LEVEL, NONTRANSLATED, EPSTEIN-BARRVIRUS-ENCODED POLYADENYLATED TRANSCRIPT IN THE BURKITTS-LYMPHOMA LINEDAUDI, Journal of virology, 71(1), 1997, pp. 84-94
An Epstein-Barr virus transcript (designated D-HIT [Daudi high-level-i
nducible transcript]), constitutively expressed at low levels in the B
urkitt's lymphoma (BL)-derived cell line Daudi, can be induced with te
tradecanoylphorbol acetate or n-butyrate or, in combination, to about
1% of the levels of high-molecular-weight RNAs in cells. The transcrip
t can also be induced in some other EBV-positive BL-derived cells but
to a much lesser extent, particularly in lines that can give rise to p
roductive infection, D-HIT is viral in origin and is composed largely
of repetitive sequence. It is polyadenylated hut mainly nuclear in loc
ation and is highly structured, sensitive only to double-strand-specif
ic RNase, It is endogenously expressed in interferon-sensitive Daudi s
trains but not in an insensitive strain, Daudi 100K. D-HIT contains a
part of a viral open reading frame (designated LF3, and deleted in the
prototype B95-8 strain), using an internal polyadenylation (AAUAAA) s
equence as a signal to specify processing of its 3' end, In Daudi cell
s, the promoter contains a putative hinge structure, as found in some
interferon-inducible genes and c-myc. Since D-HIT lies adjacent to, pr
obably even encompassing, one of the two viral lytic origins (D-R) of
replication, it may have a role in the regulation of DNA replication,
Alternatively, or in addition via its double-stranded structure, D-HIT
may play a regulatory role in interferon pathways. Its promoter could
be of value for studying expression in constructions containing heter
ologous genes.