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Transcriptional profile and Epstein-Barr virus infection status of laser-cut immune infiltrates from the brain of patients with progressive multiple sclerosis

Source

https://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentra ... 017-1049-5

Background

It is debated whether multiple sclerosis (MS) might result from an immunopathological response toward an active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection brought into the central nervous system (CNS) by immigrating B cells. Based on this model, a relationship should exist between the local immune milieu and EBV infection status in the MS brain. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed expression of viral and cellular genes in brain-infiltrating immune cells.

Conclusion

These results confirm profound in situ EBV deregulation and suggest orchestration of local antiviral function in the MS brain, lending support to a model of MS pathogenesis that involves EBV as possible antigenic stimulus of the persistent immune response in the central nervous system.

This article also points out a connection between the "four patterns theory" and the EBV brain infection.

"It is also known that the CNS immune infiltrate is dominated by CD8+ T cells displaying signs of local activation, like clonal expansion and expression of cytolytic enzymes. Both MS lesion analysis and experimental studies have highlighted a key role for CD8+ T cells in neurodegeneration [23, 24]. Recent studies point to a pathogenic role for granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) producing T cells in MS via enhanced myeloid cell recruitment and activation [25, 26], and GM-CSF producing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells have been identified in MS brain lesions"

"It has been suggested that Th17 cells may be implicated in the formation of ectopic lymphoid-like tissue in the inflamed CNS [32, 33]. Recently, clonally expanded CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with type 2 immunity functional features were identified in WM lesions characterized by complement and immunoglobulin deposition (pattern II brain lesions)"

Given that CD8+ T cells indicate EBV infection, I would say that pattern II MS is more clearly related to EBV than the other patterns.