ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To understand Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection of gastric carcinoma cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The authors tested the infection of a signet ring cell line HSC-39 derived from human gastric carcinoma with Akata and P3HR-1 strains of EBV. Akata and P3HR-1 infected of EBV cell clones were isolated by a limiting dilution method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>EBV-encoded small RNAs (EBERs) were expressed in the infected cells with each EBV strain by in situ hybridization. The EBV infected parental cells and most clones expressed EBNA1, but not EBNA2, latent membrane protein (LMP) 1 and LMP2A. Both EBV strains infected parental cells and clones presented type I latency. The uninfected HSC-39 cells were negative for CD21 expression; however, the Akata but not P3HR-1-infected clones were positive for CD21 expression at mRNA level.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results demonstrated that EBV infecting HSC-39 by CD21-independent pathway. This study also defined a signet ring cell line as a new target for EBV.</p>