Objective: To study the apoptosis-resistant difference between EBV-BHRF1 gene positive and negative cell lines against 3 kinds of apoptosis inducing factors. Methods:These cell lines were cultured in (1) the absence of fetal calf serum (FCS) for 48 h, (2) 43℃ for 10 min, and (3) 2×10-6 mol/L dexamethasone for 24 h. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), and apoptosis inducing and detecting methods were used. Results: EBVBHRF1 gene fragment was amplified from B95-8, Raji and SUNE-1 cell lines with PCR technique, while K562 and YAC cell lines were negative. The results against 3 kinds of apoptosis inducing factors from electron microscopy and agarose gel electrophoresis indicated that apoptosis appeared in BHRF1 gene-negative cell lines while apoptosis were normal in BHRF1 gene-positive cell lines. Conclusion:EBV-BHRF1 gene is one of the important factors in suppressing its host cells apoptosis.