title: Modulation of interleukin-6 expression in Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells by Epstein-Barr virus.
abstract: Variable proportions of Hodgkin's disease (HD) cases are associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), but the role of EBV in HD is not entirely clear. Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells of EBV-associated HD are characterized by expression of the EBV gene product LMP1. In other cellular environments, LMP1 has been shown to induce interleukin (IL)-6. In this study, 105 HD cases were tested for differences in IL-6 expression among LMP1-positive and -negative cases. Isotopic in situ hybridization and correlation with the presence of EBV gene products revealed significantly higher proportions of cases with IL-6-expressing tumour cells in LMP1-positive (31 of 37, 84 per cent) as compared with LMP1-negative HD cases (35 of 68, 51 per cent). Thus, although not exclusive to EBV-positive HRS cells, IL-6 expression appears to be upregulated in EBV-associated HD. IL-6 receptor (CD126) expression was tested by in situ hybridization and found in a broad spectrum of cell types, regularly including HRS cells. Superinduction of IL-6 expression may be among the mechanisms by which EBV confers a growth advantage on virus-infected HRS cells and by which the virus may contribute to the morphological and clinical peculiarities of HD.
authors.affiliation: Institute für Pathologie, Klinikum Benjamin Franklin, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Herbst
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Samol
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Foss
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Raff
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Niedobitek
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015870:Gene Expression; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D016539:Reed-Sternberg Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins
chemical_list: C037662:EBV-associated membrane antigen, Epstein-Barr virus; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins