Malignant Lymphomas |
From the Department of Pediatrics, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan (KH, AM, IU, SH, ST, TS); Department of Pediatrics, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime Japan (EI); Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan (HI); Division of Pediatrics, Takasago-Seibu Hospital, Takasago, Japan (SI)
Correspondence: Kanako Hatta, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kawaramachi, Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan, 602-8566 E-mail: mayi{at}iris.eonet.ne.jp
Background and Objectives: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is etiologically associated with various hematologic disorders, including primary acute infectious mononucleosis (IM), hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH), chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV) and malignant lymphomas. Although cytokines play a central role in EBV-related immune responses, the exact mechanisms causing different clinical responses remain unclear. In this study, the pattern of cytokine gene polymorphisms was comparatively analyzed in EBV-related diseases.
Design and Methods: Eighty-nine patients with EBV-related disease were analyzed; 30 with IM, 28 with EBV-HLH and 31 with CAEBV. Eighty-one EBV-seropositive healthy adults were also used as controls. Associations with polymorphisms of various cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1
and IL-1ß were evaluated. The gene polymorphisms were typed by polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers.
Results: A significant difference of polymorphisms was found for transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1; the frequency of TGF-ß1 codon 10 C allele was significantly higher in patients with EBV-related diseases than in controls (p<0.001). The difference was significant in patients with IM or HLH (p<0.001), but not in those with CAEBV (p=0.127), compared with controls. As regards other cytokines, the frequency of the IL-1
–889 C allele was significantly lower in patients with IM than in controls (p<0.05).
Interpretation and Conclusions: Our results suggests that TGF-ß1 codon 10 C allele plays a role in the development of EBV-related diseases and that the IL-1
–889 C allele may be involved in response failure and sequential progression into the development of HLH.
Key words: Epstein-Barr virus, cytokine gene polymorphism, IL-1, TGF-ß1.