[Molecular pathological characteristics of human B-cell lymphomas induced by Epstein-Barr virus]

To identify molecular features of neoplasms associated with EB virus, human peripheral blood lymphocytes (huPBL) were isolated from healthy volunteer donors and were transplanted intraperitoneally into SCID mice, and then huPBL/SCID mice were infected with EB virus. Serum levels of human IgG were measured by unidirectional immunodiffusion assay. Human Alu sequence and EBER-1 in tumor tissues were detected with PCR and in situ hybridization. Immunohistochemical staining was used to examine leukocyte differentiation antigens (LCA, L26, UCHL1, PS1), viral gene products (LMP1, EBNA2, BZLF1) and cellular oncoproteins (p53, C-myc, Bcl-2 and Bax). The experiments showed that tumors developed in 24 of 34 surviving huPBL/SCID mice by EBV infection. Histopathological and immunohistochemical observations demonstrated that all of the induced tumors in SCID mice were malignant lymphomas derived from human B-lymphocytes. In situ hybridization showed that tumor cells had EBV-encoded small RNA-1 (i.e. EBER-1). Alu sequence could be amplified by PCR from human genome of tumor tissues. Immunohistochemistry detected positive staining of BZLF1-encoded protein in a small population of tumor cells of almost all cases, and positive staining of LMP1 and EBNA2 only in small number of tumor cells. Human IgG could be found in the serum of 12 SCID mice on the 15th day after huPBL engraftment, and then increased with time and with the development of induced tumors in 6 mice. Positive rates of p53, C-myc, Bcl-2 and Bax expression were 83.33%, 100%, 95.83%, 91.67%, respectively, in 24 cases of the EBV-induced lymphomas. The results indicate that molecular lesions associated with the induced B-cell lymphoma involved EBV infection, expression of oncogenic viral genes, and abnormal expression of cellular oncogenes in human xenografts. Human IgG level in the serum of huPBL/SCID mice can be considered as a useful index for tumor development.