Epstein-Barr virus in nontumorigenic and tumorigenic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) somatic cell hybrids

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Abstract
Somatic cell hybrids between mouse fibroblasts and human cells derived from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) biopsies or NPC tumors propagated in nude mice were examined for the expression of the Epstein‐Barr nuclear antigen (EBNA), retention of Epstein‐Barr viral (EBV) DNA, and tumorigenicity in nude mice. In all hybrids the expression of EBNA correlated with the detection of EBV‐DNA. After more than 2 years in culture, the hybrids examined retained similar amounts of EBV‐DNA when compared to previously published data. Retention of EBV‐DNA did not correlate with the presence of any particular human chromosome. Use of either rodent cell lines, clone 1D or IT‐22, did not affect the retention nor loss of EBV‐DNA. For tumorigenicity studies, NPC cells were fused with IT‐22 cells and injected into nude mice. Tumor formation did not depend on the presence or absence of EBNA and detectable EBV‐DNA sequences; tumorigenicity in these studies could not be correlated with the presence of any particular human chromosome or the origin of the NPC biopsy.

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