Expression of Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 is associated with enhanced expression of CD25 in the Hodgkin cell line L428

Epstein-Barr virus is associated with several human malignancies including Burkitt's lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and Hodgkin's disease (ND). T o examine the effect of Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen I (EBNA-1) in th e pathogenesis of HD, we transfected the gene into the HD cell line L428. E BNA-1 expression was associated with significantly enhanced CD25 expression (interleukin 2 [IL-2]-receptor alpha chain) in transient and stably transf ected L428 cells but did not affect the expression of IL-2 receptor beta an d gamma chains. There was no up-regulation of the B-cell activation molecul es CD23, CD30, CD39, CD40, CD44, CD71, and CD54 (intercellular adhesion mol ecule 1) or enhanced production of IL-6, IL-10, lymphotoxin alpha, and the soluble form of CD25. Stable EBNA-1-expressing L428 cells were nontumorigen ic in SCID mice but showed enhanced lymphoma development in nonobese diabet ic-SCID mice compared to mock-transfected cells.