The Epstein-Barr virus oncoprotein, latent membrane protein-1, reprograms germinal centre B cells towards a Hodgkin's Reed-Sternberg-like phenotype

Martina Vockerodt, SL Morgan, M Kuo, Wenbin Wei, MB Chukwuma, John Arrand, D Kube, J Gordon, Lawrence Young, Ciaran Woodman, Paul Murray

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

81 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Although the latent membrane protein-1 (LMP1) of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is believed to be important for the transformation of germinal centre (GC) B cells, the precise contribution of this viral oncogene to lymphoma development is poorly understood. In this study, we used a non-viral vector-based method to express LMP1 in primary human GC B cells. Gene expression profiling revealed that LMP1 induced in GC B cells transcriptional changes characteristic of Hodgkin's lymphoma cell lines. Strikingly, LMP1 down-regulated the expression of B-cell-specific genes including B-cell receptor components such as CD79A, CD79B, CD19, CD20, CD22, and BLNK. LMP1 also induced the expression of ID2, a negative regulator of B-cell differentiation. Our data suggest that in EBV-positive cases, LMP1 is likely to be a major contributor to the altered transcriptional pattern characteristic of Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg cells, including the loss of B-cell identity.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)83-92
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Pathology
Volume216
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2008

Keywords

  • Epstein-Barr virus
  • latent membrane protein-1
  • Hodgkin's lymphoma
  • gene expression
  • germinal centre R cells

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