TY - JOUR
T1 - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) load and cytokine gene expression in activated T cells of chronic active EBV infection
AU - Ohga, Shouichi
AU - Nomura, Akihiko
AU - Takada, Hidetoshi
AU - Ihara, Kenji
AU - Kawakami, Kiyoshi
AU - Yanai, Fumio
AU - Takahata, Yasushi
AU - Tanaka, Tamami
AU - Kasuga, Naoki
AU - Hara, Toshiro
N1 - Funding Information:
Received 19 June 2000; revised 18 September 2000; electronically published 21 November 2000. Informed consent was obtained from parents or guardians. Financial support: Grant-in-aid for scientific research (C) (to S.O.) from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture of Japan. Reprints or correspondence: Dr. Shouichi Ohga, Dept. of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan (ohgas@pediatr.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp).
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - To identify the role of T cells in chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, EBV and cytokine gene expression was quantified by use of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) among 6 patients who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for chronic active EBV infection. Four of these patients showed clonal expansion of EBV-infected T cells. Quantitative PCR for EBV DNA in peripheral blood of patients with symptomatic chronic active EBV infection showed higher copy numbers of virus (mean, 1.45 × 105 copies/mL) than were seen in blood from patients with infectious mononucleosis (3.08 × 103 copies/mL) or with EBV-associated hemophagocytosis (2.95 × 104 copies/mL). Fractionated CD3+ HLA-DR+ cells from patients with chronic active EBV infection contained higher copy numbers than did CD3+ HLA-DR- cells. Quantitative PCR for cytokines revealed that interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-10, and transforming growth factor-β genes were expressed at higher levels in HLA-DR+ than in HLA-DR- T cells. These results suggest that activated T cells in chronic active EBV infection expressed high levels of EBV DNA and both Th1 and Th2 cytokines. EBV-infected T cells may contribute to the unbalanced cytokine profiles of chronic mononucleosis.
AB - To identify the role of T cells in chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, EBV and cytokine gene expression was quantified by use of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) among 6 patients who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for chronic active EBV infection. Four of these patients showed clonal expansion of EBV-infected T cells. Quantitative PCR for EBV DNA in peripheral blood of patients with symptomatic chronic active EBV infection showed higher copy numbers of virus (mean, 1.45 × 105 copies/mL) than were seen in blood from patients with infectious mononucleosis (3.08 × 103 copies/mL) or with EBV-associated hemophagocytosis (2.95 × 104 copies/mL). Fractionated CD3+ HLA-DR+ cells from patients with chronic active EBV infection contained higher copy numbers than did CD3+ HLA-DR- cells. Quantitative PCR for cytokines revealed that interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-10, and transforming growth factor-β genes were expressed at higher levels in HLA-DR+ than in HLA-DR- T cells. These results suggest that activated T cells in chronic active EBV infection expressed high levels of EBV DNA and both Th1 and Th2 cytokines. EBV-infected T cells may contribute to the unbalanced cytokine profiles of chronic mononucleosis.
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U2 - 10.1086/317653
DO - 10.1086/317653
M3 - Article
C2 - 11106535
AN - SCOPUS:0035173502
SN - 0022-1899
VL - 183
SP - 1
EP - 7
JO - Journal of Infectious Diseases
JF - Journal of Infectious Diseases
IS - 1
ER -
