In a previous study the BamHI-K fragment of Epstein-Barr virus DNA was shown to induce a nuclear antigen, Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen (EBNA), when cotransfected with the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene into mouse LTK- cells. We have now inserted the BamHI-K fragment and a BamHI/HindIII subfragment, I1f , into shuttle vectors containing the origin of replication of simian virus 40. These plasmids have been introduced into COS-1, which are monkey kidney cells transformed by an origin-defective simian virus 40 genome. This expression system permitted rapid characterization of antigens, mRNAs, and proteins related to EBNA. The same-sized EBNA protein (approximately 78,000) was made after transfection with BamHI-K (5.2 kilobase pairs [kbp]) or the I1f subfragment (2.9 kbp). A deletion of about 600 bp occurred when the I1f fragment was propagated on the pSV2 plasmid in Escherichia coli. The deleted fragment gave rise to a smaller protein (approximately 52,000). These data provide evidence that EBNA is encoded by the 2.9-kbp I1f and is not an induced cellular protein. Nuclear antigen and polypeptide expression occurred equally well when the Epstein-Barr virus DNA was cloned on PSV2 -gpt or pSVOd . The latter plasmid lacks sequences allowing for efficient early gene transcription as well as splicing and polyadenylation signals which are present in pSV2 . Preliminary mapping of the EBNA gene transcripts demonstrated that two mRNAs (2.9 and 2.4 kilobases [kb]) are homologous to the I1f fragment. Taken together, the data suggest that the 2.9-kbp I1f fragment contains the structural gene for EBNA synthesis. COS-1 cells will thus provide a valuable system in which to analyze functional domains of the EBNA gene.