The infection of T cells by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may result in hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) through enhanced cytokine secretion, particularly tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-α), by EBV latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1). One bewildering observation of HPS patients is relapsing disease or progression to T-cell lymphoma. This finding raises the question whether EBV LMP-1-expressing T cells may survive and proliferate in the cytokine milieu of HPS. To explore this possibility, we tested the sensitivity of LMP-1-expressing T cells to apoptosis in the presence of TNF-α LMP-1 up-regulated TNF- α through TRAF2,5 and nuclear factor-B pathway in T cells. The LMP-1-expressing T cells then became resistant to TNF-α-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, the expression of TNFR1 was remarkably down-regulated by LMP-1 in T cells. Furthermore, the TNF-/TNFR1 downstream death signal TNFR1-associated death domain protein was constitutively recruited by LMP-1, and the activities of apoptotic caspases 3, 8, and 9 were suppressed. Reconstitution of TNFR1 successfully reversed the TNF-α-induced apoptotic cascades. Therefore, EBV LMP-1 not only activates T cells to proliferate but also confers resistance to TNF-α-mediated apoptosis via down-regulation of TNFR1 in the cytokine milieu of HPS. This finding provides a potential mechanism to explain the disease persistence or progression to T-cell lymphoma in HPS patients.
What Is Remote Patient Monitoring? How It’s Transforming Modern Healthcare
At Dr. Christopher Calapai’s office, we want to make medical care as simple and convenient for you as possible. One
