MEQ AND A SMALL RNA ANTISENSE TO ICP4 ARE ABUNDANTLY EXPRESSED IN CD4+ CELLS AND CELLS CARRYING A NOVEL LYMPHOID MARKER, AV37, IN MAREK'S DISEASE LYMPHOMAS

Authors: ROSS, N - COMPTON LAB ENGLAND; O'SULLIVAN, G - COMPTON LAB ENGLAND; ROTHWELL, C - COMPTON LAB ENGLAND; SMITH, G - COMPTON LAB ENGLAND; RENNIE, M - COMPTON LAB ENGLAND; Lee, Lucy; DAVISON, F - COMPTON LAB ENGLAND

Submitted to: Journal of General Virology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/30/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Marek's disease virus (MDV) causes cancer in chickens. In the present study, we identified classes of white blood cells in chickens that harbor MDV. Our approach was to isolate cells from tumors and examine the proportion of cells expressing certain cellular and viral characteristics. Our results show that these tumor cells expressed abundant cellular and tumor markers on their cell surface, which is characteristic of the viral infection. These results will help scientists understand the disease process and help discover a cure for the disease.

Technical Abstract: Mature lymphomas produced in RIR chickens infected with the RB1B strain of Marek's disease virus (MDV) were examined for expression of viral antigens, RNAs and viral DNA. In situ hybridization showed that all tumors examined contained viral DNA in areas of lymphoid infiltration. In 3/5 tumors, there was a correlation between the number and distribution of cells expressing meq and those that carried the marker AV37. Expression of pp38 was infrequent in lymphomas but abundant in a splenic tumor which also expressed gB. Northern blot analysis of lymphocyte fractions purified by immunoaffinity showed that CD4**+ and AV37**+ fractions from lymphomas expressed meq and the small RNA antisense to ICP4 (SAR). The results are consistent with the notion that transformed cells are CD4**+, carrying the AV37 marker and expressing meq and SAR.