Abstract
To evaluate the relationship between IgE production of IgE-producing cells and expression of EBV latent infection membrane protein 1 (LMP1), one of the proteins encoded by the virus in latent infection, IgE mRNA levels were examined upon transient transfection of LMP 1 in the spleen cells derived from Brown-Norway (BN) rats with or without immunization with DNP-Ascaris suum (As), as well as in the rat IgE-producing hybridoma cells FE-3. The spleen cells were collected from spleens of Brown-Norway rats 7 days after immunization with DNP-As. IgE mRNA expression was examined using RT-PCR or Northern blot analysis. Transfection of LMP1 expression vector, pSG5-LMP1, into cells was performed by lipofection method. In the non-immunized BN rats, IgE mRNA expressions were not altered by IL-4 treatment in the spleen cells transfected with pSG5 control vector as well as in those with pSG5-LMP1. IgE mRNA levels were considerably higher in the spleen cells transfected with pSG5-LMP1 than in those with control vector. In contrast, IgE mRNA levels were reduced upon transfection with pSG5-LMP1 in the spleen cells derived from Brown-Norway rats immunized with DNP-As. IgE mRNA levels were not affected by transfection with pSG5-LMP1 in the FE-3 cells. These results suggest that IgE mRNA expressions in IgE-producing cells are modified by LMP1 gene expression and that this modification leading to changes in expression level of IgE mRNA might be dependent on the differentiation stage of immunocompetent cells upon exposure to allergen. [Jpn J Physiol 54 Suppl:S79 (2004)]
