African Burkitt's lymphoma: a plant, Euphorbia tirucalli, reduces Epstein-Barr virus-specific cellular immunity.
Endemicity of Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) coincides with profusion of a plant Euphorbia tirucalli in tropical Africa. E. tirucalli contains 4-deoxyphorbol ester that enhances Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection of B lymphocytes. In this study, we found that 4-deoxyphorbol ester reduced EBV-specific cytotoxic T-cell function. Furthermore, the B lymphocytes dually exposed to EBV and 4-deoxyphorbol ester were resistant to EBV-specific T cell cytotoxicity, through down-regulation of latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), the major target to EBV-specific cytotoxic T-cells. These immunologic findings strengthen the notion that E. tirucalli may be an important environmental risk factor for the genesis of African BL.
Imai
S
S
Department of Virology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
Sugiura
M
M
Mizuno
F
F
Ohigashi
H
H
Koshimizu
K
K
Chiba
S
S
Osato
T
T
D000349:Africa; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects; D016259:Genes, myc; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D010703:Phorbol Esters / Q000633:toxicity*; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000032:analysis
C037662:EBV-associated membrane antigen, Epstein-Barr virus; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral; D010703:Phorbol Esters; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins