Stable expression in mouse cells of nuclear neoantigen after transfer of a 3.4-megadalton cloned fragment of Epstein-Barr virus DNA.

All cells that harbor the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome contain a neoantigen in the nucleus (EBNA). By transfection we located a segment of the genome that encodes or induces an antigen serologically related to EBNA. The responsible genes are found in the 3.4-megaldalton BamHI fragment K of EBV DNA, specifically in the left 1.9 megadaltons represented by HindIII fragment I1. Mouse LTK- cells were cotransformed with recombinant plasmids, containing the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene and either EcoRI fragment B or BamHI fragment of K of EBV DNA. The TK+ cells surviving in selective medium were cloned. About 50% of the clones expressed the neoantigen in every nucleus. These mouse cells were used as antigens in immunofluorescence tests. Antibody to the nuclear antigen was found in 30 human sera known to contain antibody to EBNA; it was not detected in 18 sera that did not have antibody to EBNA. Mouse cells expressing EBNA as the result of acquisition of cloned EBV DNA fragments should prove useful in the characterization of the structure of this antigen and as reagents for the diagnosis of EBV infections.