Induction of CD44 expression by the Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein LMP1 is associated with lymphoma dissemination.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is implicated in the pathogenesis of endemic Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), B-cell lymphomas occurring under immunosuppression, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Hodgkin's disease. Two distinct patterns of latent EBV gene expression occur in EBV-associated lymphomas. BLs typically display expression of the nuclear antigen EBNAI only, whereas EBV-associated, non-Burkitt B-cell lymphomas express at least 9 latent viral genes (6 EBNAs and 3 latent membrane proteins), reminiscent of in vitro EBV-immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL). BLs are characterized by local, extra-nodal growth, whereas EBV-associated B-cell lymphomas often disseminate to peripheral lymphoid tissue. We show here that BL cells forming local tumors after xenotransplantation into SCID mice disseminate to lymphoid tissue following introduction of the latent membrane protein I (LMP 1) gene. Introduction of LMP 1 into BL cells induced expression of CD44 on the cell surface, a molecule implicated in enhanced lymphoid tumor growth and dissemination. Introduction of CD44 into LMP 1-/CD44-BL cells was observed to confer the disseminated tumor growth pattern associated with LMP 1 expression. Taken together our results show that expression of LMP 1 may regulate expression of CD44 and play an important role in the behavior of EBV-based lymphomas.