title: Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-1 B-cell epitopes in multiple sclerosis twins.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Compared with quantitative observations, the search for qualitative changes that may characterize the immune response to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been less intense.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the B-cell epitopes of antibodies against the Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1) and their relevance for MS, through a study in disease-discordant identical twins.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the antibodies to all unique, maximally overlapping octapeptides of EBNA-1 in 12 pairs of monozygotic (MZ) twins (9 MS-discordant, 3 healthy), 3 non-twin patients and 2 healthy subjects. All except one of the patients were untreated. The EBV serology of these individuals had been assessed in advance using commercially available and in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, including assays for antibodies against select peptides of EBNA-1: EBNA-72 (GAGGGAGAGG) and EBNA-206 (EADYFEYHQEGGPDGE).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The glycine-alanine rich domain of EBNA-1 was immunodominant in all subjects. Compared with healthy individuals, and similarly to what has been described in infectious mononucleosis (IM) patients, affected co-twins and non-twin patients had a significantly increased response to another EBNA-1 epitope (aa. 401-411).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a study that controls for confounders, our data focus an EBNA-1 specificity that may be associated with MS pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: S. Andrea Hospital-site, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mechelli
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vittori
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coarelli
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Annibali
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cannoni
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aloisi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salvetti
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ristori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; C417029:EBV-encoded nuclear antigen 1