Epstein-Barr virus lytic cycle involvement in diffuse large B cell lymphoma

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-mediated B cell transformation is achieved predominantly through the action of latent proteins, but recent evidence suggests that lytic EBV replication has also a certain pathogenic role in lymphomagenesis, at least in the early phases of cell transformation. Particularly, in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the EBV lytic cycle is by and large unexplored, so to disclose lytic cell contribution to lymphomagenesis, our aim was to evaluate viral early and late lytic gene expression in relation to several immune response markers in a series of EBV+ DLBCL from Argentina. An unexpected number of cells expressed lytic transcripts, being transcribed at the BZLF1, BHRF1, and BLLF1 locus, by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. This lytic antigen expression was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining for BMRF1 early lytic protein, and a positive correlation between lytic and latent genes was confirmed, revealing a close link between their expressions in EBV+ DLBCL pathogenesis. Remarkably, BZLF1 displayed a negative correlation with CD4 cell counts, and this could be in part justified by the restriction of antigen presentation previously reported. The direct correlation for the late lytic gene BLLF1 and IFNγ in this series could represent a specific response directed towards this antigen. Interleukin 10 transcripts also displayed a positive correlation with lytic expression, indicating that regulatory mechanisms could be also involved on EBV-associated DLBCL pathogenesis in our series. Complete lytic reactivation in EBV-positive tumours could potentially kill EBV-positive malignant cells, providing a tool to promote tumour cell killing mediated by EBV as a complementary treatment strategy.