Deletion of the Nontransforming Epstein-Barr Virus Strain P3HR-1 Causes Fusion of the Large Internal Repeat to the DS L Region

The nontransforming Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) strain P3HR-1 is known to have a deletion of sequences of the long unique region adjacent to the large internal repeats. The deleted region is believed to be required for initiation of transformation. To establish a more detailed map of the deletion in P3HR-1 virus,Sal I-A of the transforming strain M-ABA and of P3HR-1 virus was cloned into the cosmid vector pHC79 and multiplied inEscherichia coli. The cleavage sites forBam HI,Bgl II,Eco RI,Pst I,Sac I,Sac II, andXho I were determined in the recombinant plasmid clones. Analysis of the boundary between large internal repeats and the long unique region showed that in M-ABA (EBV) the transition is different from that in B95-8 virus. The map established forSal I-A of P3HR-1 virus revealed that, in contrast to previous reports, the deletion has a size of 6.5 kilobase pairs. It involves the junction between large internal repeats and the long unique region and includes more than half of the rightmost large internal repeat. The site of the deletion in the long unique region is located between aSac I and aSac II site, about 200 base pairs apart from each other. The sequences neighboring the deletion in the long unique region showed homology to the nonrepeated sequences of the DSR (duplicated sequence, right) region. Sequences of the large internal repeat are thus fused to sequences of the DSL (duplicated sequence, left) region in P3HR-1 virus DNA under elimination of the DSL repeats. Jijoye, the parental Burkitt lymphoma cell line from which the P3HR-1 line is derived by single-cell cloning, is known to produce a transforming virus. Analysis of the Jijoye (EBV) genome with cloned M-ABA (EBV) probes specific for the sequences missing in P3HR-1 virus revealed that the sequences of M-ABA (EBV)Bam HI-H2 are not represented in Jijoye (EBV). In Jijoye (EBV) the complete DSL region including the DSL repeats is, however, conserved. Further analysis of Jijoye (EBV) and of Jijoye virustransformed cell lines will be helpful to narrow down the region required for transformation.