Epstein-Barr virus activation of human epithelial-nasopharyngeal carcinoma hybrid cells

The authors used indirect immunofluorescence and electron microscopic techniques to study the effects of 5-iododeoxyuridine (IUDR) and the tumor promotor 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on the epithelial hybrid cell line (NPC-KT) derived from nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The hybrid cells contained Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced early antigens at a very low level but not Epstein-Barr viral capsid antigens in spontaneous production; the hybrid cells responded significantly to both IUDR and TPA induction. The chemicals induced both early antigens and viral capsid antigens in the NPC-KT cells. Moreover, the virus particles were detected in the altered NPC-KT cells by IUDR treatment. The data suggest that the EBV-induced agents activate the EBV productive cycle in a proportion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.