Infection of naïve primary human B-lymphocytes with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) – time course transcriptomic analysis in the pre-latent phase of viral infection. Infection of naïve primary human B-lymphocytes with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) – time course transcriptomic analysis in the pre-latent phase of viral infection

B cells from anonymous adenoid donors were isolated and sorted for naïve B cells, which were subsequently infected with a reference EBV strain (2089_B95-8) using a defined multiplicity of infection. Infection of resting B cells with EBV induces their activation, their proliferation, and subsequent immortalization giving rise to lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) in vitro. Non-infected primary B-lymphocytes immediately after preparation (day 0) and at early time points post infection (day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 14) were collected and total RNAs were prepared. We performed time course RNA-seq experiments and assessed the expression kinetics of viral (EBV_2089) and cellular genes (Hg19) in these cells that show impressive phenotypic alterations over time. The experiment revealed the very dynamic regulation of viral and cellular genes that could be grouped into six clusters of transcriptional regulation documenting the cellular response to viral infection and the virally induced cell reprogramming and transformation.