Development of a model animal for Epstein-Barr virus infection

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The human CD21 (hCD21) molecule, which is preferentially expressed on B-lymphocytes, is the receptor for EBV adsorption, and this determines the predominant B-lymphocyte tropism of EBV. B-lymphocytes from humans and some primates, but not from other species, are susceptible to EBV infection. We have recently demonstrated that introduction of the hCD21 gene makes some canine and rat cells susceptible to EBV infection and stably EBV-infected cell clones could be isolated from these cells. These results suggest that once the initial barrier to attachment is overcome, EBV can penetrate into and stably infect canine and rat cells. This finding has prompted us to generate a transgenic rat with the hCD21 gene, which could become an animal model for EBV infection. We generated transgenic rats expressing the human CD21 gene (hCD21) driven by the mouse immunoglobulin enhancer. Spleen B-lymphocytes expressing hCD21 were susceptible to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection as evidenced by EBV latent gene expression, but the infection was abortive and was not followed by blastogenesis, cellular DNA synthesis or proliferation. The present findings indicate that human and rat lymphocytes respond to EBV infection differently in vitro. We are now studying whether the hCD21 transgenic rat could become a model animal for EBV infection.