Infection of human epithelial cells by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). II. Biochemical characterization of EBV-determined proteins synthesized in epithelial cells.

Primary cultures of epithelial cells were grown from tonsils of patients with diseases not related to EBV. The cells were implanted with EBV receptors and exposed to EBV of the transforming (B95-8, AG-876) and nontransforming (P3HR-1) strains. The EBV-infected and control cells were pulsed with [35S]methionine at 18-24 h after infection, and cell extracts were prepared for immunoprecipitation with anti-EBV sera and analysis by gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. About 20 EBV-determined proteins ranging from 22 to 185 kDa were detected in P3HR-1 virus-infected epithelial cells. Only a few polypeptides were detected in extracts of cells infected with AG-876 virus while no EBV-specific proteins were immunoprecipitated from extracts of B95-8 virus-infected cells. These results demonstrate that the system of EBV receptor-implanted normal human epithelial cells can be used for direct biochemical analysis of EBV infection in the epithelial tissue.