EBV infection patterns in Hodgkin's disease and normal lymphoid tissue: expression and cellular localization of EBV gene products.
The present study was performed to clarify the reported inconsistencies regarding the frequency of the association of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Hodgkin's disease (HD). Biopsies from 102 patients with HD were screened for the presence of EBV-encoded small nuclear RNA (EBER) and latent membrane protein (LMP) by using a non-isotopic in situ hybridization (ISH) and immunohistology (IH), respectively. The results were additionally compared with those obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for EBV-DNA detection. EBV was detected by EBER-ISH in 67% of the HD cases and in 25% of the control group cases consisting of normal lymph nodes. The results of PCR performed on cases with amplifiable DNA were overall congruent with those obtained by EBER-ISH. With respect to the cellular localization of EBV, four categories of HD could be established: (a) cases with EBV-infected tumour cells (42/102), (b) cases with additional infection of bystander cells (4/102); (c) cases with EBV infection restricted to non-malignant bystander cells (23/102); and (d) cases with neither EBV-infected tumour cells nor bystander cells (33/102). LMP expression was detectable only in the neoplastic cell population of those cases with EBER-positive tumour cells, suggesting a frequent involvement of EBV in the pathogenesis of HD.
Hummel
M
M
Institute of Pathology, Klinikum Steglitz, Free University, Berlin, Germany.
Anagnostopoulos
I
I
Dallenbach
F
F
Korbjuhn
P
P
Dimmler
C
C
Stein
H
H
D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins
D000956:Antigens, Viral; C037662:EBV-associated membrane antigen, Epstein-Barr virus; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012367:RNA, Viral; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; C067169:RPL22 protein, human