Induction of a deoxyuridine triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase activity in Epstein-Barr virus-infected cells

Superinfection of Raji cells with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or chemical induction of HR-1 cells with 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) results in the induction of a deoxyuridine triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase) which is not observed in mock-treated cells or TPA-treated EBV genome-negative BJAB cells. The EBV-induced dUTPase could be distinguished from the host dUTPase based upon differences in their migration in polyacrylamide gels and sensitivity to the 5-mercurithioguanosine derivitive of dUTP. The expression of the EBV-specified dUTPase is prevented by phosphonoacetic acid indicating that its expression is dependent upon EBV-DNA replication.