# INFECTION OF B LYMPHOCYTES BY EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS

> **NIH NIH R01** · SCRIPPS CLINIC AND RESEARCH FOUNDATION · 1987 · $111,537

## Abstract

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a human herpesvirus which is a prime candidate
for a human cancer virus.  EBV is strongly associated with two
malignancies, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Burkitt's lymphoma, induces
fatal lymphoma following injection into nonhuman primates, and transforms B
lymphocytes in vitro, thereby generating permanent cell lines.  In
economically developed countries, it causes infectious mononucleosis, a
benign lymphoproliferative disease which may progress to fatal
lymphoproliferative malignancy in immunologically compromised individuals
with Duncan's disease or in allograft recipients.  Recent studies have also
implicated EBV as a potential factor in the development of several
autoimmune diseases.  Over 90% of adults carry the viral genome for life in
latent form in B lymphocytes and in oropharyngeal cells.  The immune system
is involved in the maintenance of the latent state.

Despite the importance of EBV in human disease, relatively little is known
of the early events in infection of cells by the virus.  It is the
objective of this program to investigate the basic mechanisms by which this
virus recognizes, enters and progresses to its nuclear site of replication
within the normal human B lymphocyte.  Identification and characterization
of the EBV receptor as well as the tropism of EBV in binding to B cell and
T cell subpopulations will be analyzed.  The roles of the major viral
envelope proteins and cellular elements in viral attachment/deenvelopment
and fusion are to be studied.  Our recent studies showed that EBV enters B
cells by endocytosis into large, thin-walled endocytic vacuoles where
deenvelopment/fusion and entry of the nucleocapsid into the cytoplasm
occurs by a pH dependent event not involving lysosomal enzymes.  The nature
of the pH requirement and its source will be further analyzed.  Since our
preliminary studies suggest that actin microfilaments participate in EBV
deenvelopment in B cells the role of the cell cytoskeleton, particularly
actin and myosin in viral attachment, entry and deenvelopment are also to
be analyzed.  The overall approach to this project will be biochemical and
molecular in naturel utilizing modern techniques, purified cells, proteins
and specific probes wherever possible to study EBV cellular interactions.
Analysis of cell-virus interactions will also be correlated with functional
relevance as indicated by infectivity and cell transformation.  The
ultimate goal of these studies is the understanding on a molecular level of
the means by which this virus initiates infection.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3173722
- **Project number:** 5R01CA036204-03
- **Recipient organization:** SCRIPPS CLINIC AND RESEARCH FOUNDATION
- **Principal Investigator:** Glen R Nemerow
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $111,537
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1985-04-01 → 1988-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3173722

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3173722, INFECTION OF B LYMPHOCYTES BY EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS (5R01CA036204-03). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3173722. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*