Heterogeneous Epstein-Barr virus infection patterns in peripheral T-cell lymphoma of angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy type.
In this study, 32 cases of T-cell lymphoma of angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy type (AILD-TCL) were investigated for their association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). For this purpose, three different approaches were applied: polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of EBV-DNA, in situ hybridization (ISH) for EBV-encoded small nuclear RNAs (EBER), and immunohistology for EBV-encoded latent membrane protein (LMP). PCR and EBER-ISH produced almost identical results, showing that all but one case of AILD-TCL contained EBV genomes. Three distinctive patterns of EBV infection were observed after immunophenotypical characterization of EBER-positive cells: (1) in 26% of the cases, B and T cells were infected, the majority of which were B cells of immunoblastic morphology located in the remnants of lymphoid follicles; (2) in 42% of the cases, the vast majority of infected cells were neoplastic T cells diffusely distributed in the lymph nodes, but infected B cells were also present; and (3) in 32% of the cases, there were only a few infected small lymphoid cells. Detectable LMP was frequent in cases exhibiting patterns 1 and 2. These findings suggest that in AILD-TCL patients, B cells and especially T cells are highly susceptible to a persistent EBV infection, which often leads to a growth advantage of the infected cells. Thus EBV, in conjunction with genetic abnormalities and selective defects of the immune system, might be involved in the pathogenesis of AILD-TCL.
Anagnostopoulos
I
I
Institute for Pathology, Klinikum Steglitz, Free University Berlin, Germany.
Hummel
M
M
Finn
T
T
Tiemann
M
M
Korbjuhn
P
P
Dimmler
C
C
Gatter
K
K
Dallenbach
F
F
Parwaresch
M R
MR
Stein
H
H
D001483:Base Sequence; D001706:Biopsy; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D016400:Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Immunoblastic / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016411:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology
D004279:DNA, Viral; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D005914:Globins