ABSTRACT
Various autoantibodies have been reported to be detected during the progression of infectious mononucleosis. We observed a case of infectious mononucleosis due to Epstein-Barr virus primary infection for 2 months, and noticed the transiently increased titer of thyrotropin receptor autoantibodies detected at the acute phase on the 3rd day after admission. At that time, real-time quantitative PCR also revealed the mRNA expressions of an immediate early lytic gene, BZLF1, and a latent gene, EBNA2. The expression of BZLF1 mRNA means that Epstein-Barr virus infects lytically, and EBNA2 protein has an important role in antibody production as well as the establishment of Epstein-Barr virus latency. These results suggest that Epstein-Barr virus lytic infection is relevant to thyrotropin receptor autoantibody production. Thyrotropin receptor autoantibodies stimulate thyroid follicular cells to produce excessive thyroid hormones and cause Graves' disease. Recently, we reported the thyrotropin receptor autoantibody production from thyrotropin receptor autoantibody-predisposed Epstein-Barr virus-infected B cells by the induction of Epstein-Barr virus lytic infection in vitro. This case showed in vivo findings consistent with our previous reports, and is important to consider the pathophysiology of Graves' disease and one of the mechanisms of autoimmunity.
ABSTRACT
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous virus that infects most adults latently. It persists in B lymphocytes and reactivates occasionally. Graves' disease is an autoimmune hyperthyroidism caused by thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAbs). We have reported that Graves' disease patients and healthy controls have EBV-infected lymphocytes that have TRAbs on their surface (TRAb(+)EBV(+) cells) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). EBV reactivation is known to be associated with plasma cell differentiation and antibody production of B cells. In this study, we investigated whether TRAb(+)EBV(+) cells really produce TRAbs or not when persistent EBV is reactivated. We cultured PBMCs from 12 Graves' disease patients and 12 healthy controls for several days with cyclosporine A to expand the EBV-infected cell population, and then compared TRAb levels between EBV reactivation by 33 °C culture and EBV nonreactivation by 37 °C culture of PBMCs. Flow cytometry confirmed that all samples at day 0 (reactivation starting point) contained TRAb(+)EBV(+) cells. During 33 °C culture, EBV-reactivated cells with EBV-gp350/220 expression increased from about 1 to 4%. We quantified TRAb levels in culture fluids by radio-receptor assay, and detected an increased concentration for at least one sampling point at 33 °C (from days 0 to 12) for all patients and healthy controls. TRAb levels were significantly higher in supernatants of 33 °C culture than of 37 °C culture, and also significantly higher in supernatants from patients than those from controls. This study revealed TRAb production from TRAb(+)EBV(+) cells in response to reactivation induction of persistent EBV in different efficiencies between patients and controls.
