The 5’Flanking Region of the Gene for EBNA2 Contains a Cell Type Specific cis-Acting Regulatory Element that Activates Transcription in Transfected B-Cells

Abstract

A possible mechanism for the function of EBNA2 is suggested by the finding that transfection of an EBV-negative BL cell line with the EBNA2 gene led to changes in the expression of several cell surface antigens, notably an increase in the expression of the cellular activation antigen CD23 (1). Proteolytic fragments of CD23 function as autocrine growth factors for normal and transformed B-cells and might conceivably mediate some of the effects of EBNA2 on cellular growth (2). EBNA2 is a DNA-binding protein and the C-terminal part of the molecule contains a cluster of acid amino acid residues similar to the “negative noodles” often found in activators of transcription. Thus, EBNA2 presumably has its primary action at the level of transcription and might regulate the expression of an assortment of cellular and/or viral genes.