Amino acid changes in functional domains of latent membrane protein 1 of Epstein-Barr virus in nasopharyngeal carcinoma of southern China and Taiwan: prevalence of an HLA A2-restricted 'epitope-loss variant'

• Published in: Journal of general virology 2004-07, Vol.85 (7), p.2023-2034
• Main Authors: Lin, Jung-Chung, Cherng, Jaw-Ming, Lin, Hsiung-Ju, Tsang, Chi-Wai, Liu, Yi-Xi, Lee, Steven P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Amino Acid Substitution; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; China; DNA Primers; Epidemiology; Epitopes - genetics; Epstein-Barr virus; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic Variation; Herpesvirus 4, Human - genetics; Herpesvirus 4, Human - isolation & purification; HLA-A2 Antigen - genetics; Humans; Major Histocompatibility Complex - genetics; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - pathology; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - virology; NF-kappa B - metabolism; Peptide Fragments - chemistry; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Restriction Mapping; Taiwan; Tumors; Viral Matrix Proteins - chemistry; Virology
• ISSN: 0022-1317; 1465-2099
• DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.19696-0

1 Department of Microbiology, Tzu Chi University School of Medicine, 701 Section 3, Chung Yang Road, Hualien 970, Taiwan, ROC 2 Department of Internal Medicine, Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan, ROC 3 Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Medical University, China 4 CRC Institute for Cancer Studies, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK 5 Department of Virology, Cancer Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China Correspondence Jung-Chung Lin jclin{at}mail.tcu.edu.tw Full-length sequences of the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) gene for latent membrane protein (LMP)-1 from 22 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) biopsy specimens and 18 non-neoplastic counterparts (NPI) were determined. Relative to the B95-8 strain, the amino acid sequences of the toxic-signal and transformation domains were changed variably in NPC and NPI specimens; in contrast, no change was observed in the NF- B (nuclear factor B) activation domain. HLA typing revealed that 47 % of NPC and 31 % of NPI specimens were HLA A2-positive. A major A2-restricted epitope within LMP-1 (residues 125–133) was analysed. At residue 126, a change of L F was detected in 91 % (20/22) of NPC and 67 % (12/18) of NPI specimens. In addition, a deletion at residue 126 was detected in one NPC sample from Taiwan. At residue 129, a change of M I was observed in all samples, regardless of whether they were NPC or NPI. The changes in this peptide between NPC and NPI specimens, including mutation and deletion, are statistically significant ( P