Latent membrane protein 1 inhibits Epstein-Barr virus lytic cycle induction and progress via different mechanisms

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a potent growth-transforming agent of human B cells. It has previously been shown that viral latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) is essential for EBV-induced transformation of normal B cells and contributes to maintenance of latency in vitro. Using the EBV-positive Burkitt's lymphoma line P3HR1-c16, which lacks LMP1 during latency and which can readily be activated into virus-productive lytic cycle, we found that LMP1 inhibits lytic cycle induction via the transcription factor NF-kappa B. In addition, LMP1 inhibits lytic cycle progress via two distinct NF-kappa B-independent mechanisms: one involving the cytosolic C-terminal activating regions and the other involving the transmembrane region of LMP1. These findings indicate that in B cells EBV self-limits its lytic cycle via three distinct LMP1-mediated mechanisms.