Summary auto-generated
This study investigated the relationship between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) strains found in hairy leukoplakia (HL), a tongue lesion in immunocompromised individuals, and those in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from the same patients. Researchers analyzed matched samples from 16 HIV-positive men using three molecular markers: a 30-nucleotide deletion in the latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1) gene, variation in the LMP-1 repeat region, and Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen-2 (EBNA-2) typing. Multiple EBV strains were detected in both tissue types. Notably, 81% of patient pairs showed identity for at least one EBV strain between HL and PBL specimens. The findings suggest active bidirectional trafficking of EBV between the epithelial and lymphocyte compartments. In two cases, genetic evidence indicated EBV strains from HL epithelium infected PBLs. The results demonstrate that HL provides a unique opportunity to study EBV interactions between epithelial and immune compartments, with potential implications for understanding EBV-associated lymphoma development in HIV-positive individuals.
Key findings
- Multiple EBV strains co-exist in both hairy leukoplakia tissue and peripheral blood lymphocytes from the same patients
- 81% of patient pairs showed strain identity for at least one EBV strain between the two tissue compartments, indicating active viral exchange
- Evidence from two patients suggests EBV strains from HL epithelium can infect PBLs, based on LMP-1 deletion patterns
- Both epithelial and lymphocyte compartments show evidence of multiple strain infection and intra-strain recombination in HIV-positive individuals
- LMP-1 gene characteristics remain relatively stable over time (2-20 months), despite variation in detected strain patterns
This summary was generated automatically from the article PDF and is not part of the original publication. Refer to the PDF for the authoritative text.
Abstract
Hairy leukoplakia (HL), an epithelial lesion found on the side of the tongue in immunocompromised individuals, is characterized by high-level replication of EpsteinBarr virus (EBV) and multiple EBV strains. The source of these strains and their relationship to peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) strains has not previously been characterized. Using matched pairs of HL scrapings and PBL from 16 HIV-positive men, variation in EBV strain identity was characterized by detection of a 30 nucleotide deletion of the EBV latent membrane protein (LMP)-1 gene, variation in the LMP-1 repeat region and typing for EpsteinBarr nuclear antigen (EBNA)-2. Multiple EBV strains were found in both the HL and PBL specimens, but 13 of 16 (81%) patients showed evidence of strain identity for at least one strain and analysis of two patients suggested that EBV strains from HL could infect the PBL. Our data are consistent with active trafficking of EBV between these two compartments.