title: Immunoglobulin A-induced shift of Epstein-Barr virus tissue tropism.
abstract: Increased immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) appear months to years before the clinical onset of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and define populations at high risk for this EBV-associated epithelial cancer common in south China. In the human HT-29 epithelial cell line, polymeric IgA (pIgA) specific for EBV promoted infection of the otherwise refractory epithelial cells. When bound to pIgA, EBV entered epithelial cells through secretory component-mediated IgA transport but no longer infected B lymphocytes. Such an immune-induced shift in EBV tissue tropism provides a paradigm for endogenous spread of EBV in the immune host that predicts infectious sequelae of epithelium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, TN 38101-0318.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Sixbey
authors.forename: Q Y
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D004848:Epithelium / Q000382:microbiology*; D015686:Gene Products, env; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000276:immunology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007244:Infectious Mononucleosis / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D012635:Secretory Component / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015686:Gene Products, env; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D012635:Secretory Component