Antibody responses against polypeptide components of Epstein‐Barr virus‐induced early diffuse antigen in patients with connective tissue diseases

Abstract

The specific humoral response against polypeptide components of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the induced early diffuse antigen (EA-D), in patients with connective tissue diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), was investigated by using the immunoblotting technique. The EA(D)-positive sera from patients with infectious mononucleosis (IM), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), immunocompromised patients (renal transplant recipients and patients with AIDS) as well as the EA(D)-negative sera from patients with Burkitt's lymphoma and from clinically healthy subjects served as controls. Seven major antigenic polypeptides with molecular weights of 33 kDa, 35 kDa, 52 kDa, 54 kDa, 56 kDa, 58 kDa, and 134 kDa were detected reproducibly by the EA(D)-positive reference sera and, in particular, by each of the NPC sera tested. The EA(D)-positive sera from the other groups showed various combinations of detection patterns and few samples reacted with all the major EA(D) polypeptides. Seventy-three percent of sera from SLE and 47% of sera from MCTD were found to react with EA(D). Sixty-one percent of sera from SLE vs. 5% from MCTD detected all the EA(D) polypeptides. These results could either reflect perturbations of the immune response linked to the autoimmune disease or suggest a possible pathogenic role of EBV.

Detection of Epstein-Barr Virus and Cytomegalovirus Genome in White Blood Cells from Patients with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and Childhood Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

“…In SLE, 238 Tsai/Chiang/Kao/Hsieh Epstein-Barr Virus and Systemic Lupus erythematosus polyclonal B activation might play an important role in the pathogenic mechanism of the disease process, and abnor mal expansion of the autoreactive B cell population induced by viral infection like EBV might lead to autoimmune reac tions. Antibodies against specific EBV nuclear antigens have been related to certain autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, sjogren syndrome, and SLE [23][24][25], In addition, antibodies to early diffuse antigens have also been found to be present in a high percentage of SLE and mixed connective tissue disease patients [26]. The possible participation of HCMV and EBV in the pathogenesis of JRA has been evaluated with detection of DNA by PCR; however, the results were still not conclusive [27,28], Our study was performed to explore the possible relationship between EBV-and CMV-positive rates of leukocytes and the pathogenesis of JRA and childhood SLE.…”

Polymyositis/dermatomyositis and nasopharyngeal carcinoma: The Epstein–Barr virus connection?

“…12 It has been suggested that rheumatic diseases arise as a consequence of antigenic cross-reactivity of anti-EBV antibodies. [13][14][15] PM/DM is associated with a higher risk of malignancies. [16][17][18] Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common malignancy in Chinese PM/DM patients.…”

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus have abnormally elevated Epstein–Barr virus load in blood

“…If EBV is indeed involved in the pathogenesis of SLE, then there must be some association between EBV infection and SLE [6-9]. Elevated titers of anti-EBV antibodies have been detected in SLE patients compared with control individuals [10-12].…”