Comparison of the Epstein-Barr virus infection and 30 bp-deleted LMP1 gene among 4 histologic types of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
- Author:
Min ZHANG
1
;
Yong-sheng ZONG
;
Jie-hua HE
;
Bi-ling ZHONG
;
Su-xia LIN
;
Ying-jie LIANG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH: Adult; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections; epidemiology; Female; Gene Deletion; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms; etiology; virology; Viral Matrix Proteins; genetics
- From: Chinese Journal of Pathology 2003;32(4):342-346
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVETo compare the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection rates and the frequencies of wt-LMP1 and del-LMP1 EBV variants detected singly or dually among the four types of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and to illustrate the possible role of del-LMP1 gene in nasopharyngeal carcinogenesis.
METHODSEBER in situ hybridization was performed in 117 NPCs, including 48 non-keratinizing carcinomas (NKCs), 25 keratinizing squamous cell carcinomas (KSCCs), 5 adenosquamous carcinomas (ASCs), 6 mucoepidermoid carcinomas (MECs) and 33 adenocarcinomas (ACs). Nested PCR for demonstration of EBV LMP1 gene was performed on the tissue samples collected from 99 EBER-positive carcinoma cases and the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 53 healthy adults (HAs).
RESULTSAs indicated by EBER in-situ hybridization, the EBV infection rates in both of 48 NKCs and 25 KSCCs were 100%; and the infection rates of 11 ASCs/MECs and 33 ACs were 9/11 and 51.5% (17/33), respectively. Worthy to note was that most of the NKC cells were EBER-positive while only a small number of EBER-positive neoplastic cells could be found in 17 ACs. The percentage of del-LMP1 EBV variant detected singly in NKCs (85.4%, 41/48) was not only significantly higher than that in PBMCs of 46 HAs (8.7%, 4/46) but also significantly higher than those detected in KSCCs (16.0%, 4/25). The dual infection rate of wt-LMP1 and del-LMP1 variants detected in KSCCs (56.0%, 14/25) was significantly higher than that of NKCs (12.5%, 6/48). The majority of the EBV detected in AC tissues (12/17) and HAs' PBMCs (34/46, 73.7%) were of dual wt-LMP1 and del-LMP1 variants.
CONCLUSIONSThe EBV infection rates are significantly different among 3 major histological categories, namely, NKC/KSCC, ASC/MEC and AC. Though NKCs and KSCCs are always consistently associated with EBV, the single del-LMP1 EBV variant detected in NKCs is predominant over that in KSCCs and most of the KSCCs contain dual wt-LMP1 and del-LMP1 EBV variants. The EBV of the del-LMP1 variant might play a crucial role in carcinogenesis of NKC.
