Biclonal expansion of T cells infected with monoclonal Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in a patient with chronic, active EBV infection.
Recent studies have suggested that a high percentage of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected lymphocytes in peripheral blood of patients with chronic, active EBV infection (CAEBV) is of T cell origin. Although T cells are expanded oligoclonally in CAEBV, it is not clear whether the restricted diversity of T cells arise from immune reaction against EBV-related antigens or from proliferation of EBV-infected cells. We experienced a patient with CAEBV who had biclonal expansion of peripheral blood T cells. We identified clonotypes of these two T cell clones in detail and purified the T cell clones. EBV infected mainly the two T cell clones, whereas the viral loads in peripheral blood cells other than these T cell clones were low or undetectable. The EBV strains infecting the two T cells clones were indistinguishable from each other by a series of genotype analyses of the virus. These results suggest that the two T cell clones infected with the same monoclonal EBV proliferated in peripheral blood of the patient.
Toyabe
S
S
Department of Pediatrics, Niigata University School of Medicine, Niigata, Japan. toyabe@med.niigata-u.ac.jp
Harada
W
W
Uchiyama
M
M
D015139:Blotting, Southern; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D002455:Cell Division; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002999:Clone Cells; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D015333:Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*