Detection of human herpes virus 6B in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy in West China and the possible association with elevated NF-κB expression.
BACKGROUND
There has been a long-standing suspicion that an association exists between mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) and the herpes virus. Evidence for HHV-6B involvement has been reported. However, no investigation has been performed in China.


METHODS
We used nested PCR and immunohistochemistry to detect viral DNA of human herpes virus (HHV)-6B, HHV-6A, herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 and HSV-2 in resected brain tissues from patients with MTLE and control. A principal transcription factor, NF-κB, that is associated with the inflammatory response was also investigated by real-time PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
HHV-6B DNA was detected in hippocampal samples from 9 out of 32 (28.1%) patients with MTLE and in 1 of 12 (8.3%) control samples. Immunoreactivity for HHV-6B was consistently present in MTLE patients positive for HHV-6 detected by PCR. Significant staining for HHV-6B antigen was distributed mainly around or in the nucleus of cells that morphologically resembled astrocytes and microglia. HHV-6B positivity was related to febrile convulsion history of patients with MTLE. The expression of NF-κB was up-regulated and distributed in the nucleus of glial cells in MTLE patients positive for HHV-6B.


CONCLUSIONS
This study was first to find HHV-6B in MTLE patients from West China and demonstrate a possible association between HHV-6B positivity and activation of NF-κB. The detailed role of HHV-6B and its association with NF-κB in the development of chronic MTLE requires further investigation.
Department of Neurology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China.
Jin-Mei
JM
Li
Ding
D
Lei
Fang
F
Peng
Yi-Jun
YJ
Zeng
Liang
L
Li
Zeng-Liang
ZL
Xia
Xiao-Qiang
XQ
Xia
Dong
D
Zhou
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
D016328:NF-kappa B