Segregation of the EBV-determined nuclear antigen (EBNA) in somatic cell hybrids derived from the fusion of a mouse fibroblast and a human Burkitt lymphoma line.

TLDR: Four independently derived hybrids between the mouse fibroblast line A9 and the human, Burkitt‐lymphoma‐derived lymphoblastoid cell line Daudi were studied for the presence of the Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) genome, theEBV‐determined nuclear antigen (EBNA), other EBV‐associated antigens, human surface immunoglobulin and the presenceof human chromosomes.

Abstract: Four independently derived hybrids between the mouse fibroblast line A9 and the human, Burkitt-lymphoma-derived lymphoblastoid cell line Daudi were studied for the presence of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome, the EBV-determined nuclear antigen (EBNA), other EBV-associated antigens, human surface immunoglobulin and the presence of human chromosomes. The four lines differed in the number of their EBV genomes. There was a parallelism between this number, as detected by c/RNA/DNA hybridization, and the frequency of EBNA-positive nuclei. None of the other EBV-antigens, EA, VCA or MA, was expressed at any time, either in the untreated hybrid cells or after IUDR-treatment. The hybrids did not carry detectable surface-associated immunoglobulin or EBV-receptors. The presence of the EBV genome was coincident with the maintenance of human chromosomes, but the hybrids that have lost detectable viral genomes and EBNA still contained a considerable number of human chromosomes, suggesting that the viral genome may be associated with a few chromosomes only.