Identification of EBV transforming genes by recombinant EBV technology

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is able to infect primary B-lymphocytes but usuall y does not proceed to replicate more virions. Instead, EBV persists as an i ncomplete virus and expresses 12 gene products that transform the growth of these cells into continuously proliferating lymphoblastoid cell lines. Bec ause EBV is associated with several human malignancies, there is intense in terest in delineating the molecular functions of these EBV gene products in transformation. This review focuses on the recombinant EBV technologies th at have been developed to introduce specific mutations into EBV and test th e functions of these EBV genes in primary B-lymphocyte growth transformatio n.