RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Infection of Epstein Barr virus (EBV) into B cells drives the infected cells into the cell cycle and frequently results in lymphoblastoid cells. Mitomycin C inhibits DNA synthesis of epithelial cells as well as lymphoid cells by cross-linking with DNA. Many of the cancer cells have various pathways for escaping the responsiveness to the negative growth-regulatory effects of mitomycin C and gaining the immortalized property. The auther performed a cell culture of an EBV infected Jijoye lymphoma cell line, and compared the cell cycle and cancer related genes between the mitomycin treated- and non-treated group. METHODS: DNA and RNA were extracted from the Jijoye cells; and EBV nuclear antigen (EBNA)-1, 2 and latent membrane protein (LMP) of EBV and p53 and p21 mRNA analyse was performed. RESULTS: Mitomycin C blocked G2/M phase, however, mitomycin did not affect the expression of EBNA-1, 2 and LMP. Mitomycin C also increased the p21 mRNA expression without p53 mRNA increase. CONCLUSIONS: Mitomycin C induces B cell apoptosis by blocking the G2/M phase and by increasing p21 mRNA independent to p53, which reveals the presence of an alternative pathway of p21 induction by mitomycin C in EBV positive lymphoma cells