Reversal of EBV immortalization precedes apoptosis in IL-6-induced human B cell terminal differentiation

Cell death in B cell terminal differentiation rapidly follows cell cycle arrest in IL-6 differentiation of EBV-immortalized, IgG-bearing human lymphoblastoid cells in vitro. G1 arrest is now found to coincide with repression of EBNA2 and LMP1, two EBV genes essential for B cell transformation, without activation of the viral lytic cycle. IL-6-differentiated B cells die by apoptosis, as evidenced by increases in Annexin V binding activity, PARP cleavage, and chromatin disorganization. Expression of Mcl-1, a Bcl-2 family member, was specifically induced during IL-6 differentiation and down-regulated during apoptosis. Thus, IL-6 reverses EBV immortalization and activates the terminal differentiation program in IgG-bearing human B lymphoblastoid cells, including regulation of an anti-apoptotic gene to coordinate differentiation, cell cycle arrest, and cell death.