A recent UTHealth Houston study reveals that the body’s immunological response to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may cause MS damage. EBV infection has long been linked to MS, although the mechanisms are unknown. EBV is present in over 95% of people, but it usually remains latent. T-cells specific to EBV infection may contribute, according to the study.
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EBV T-Cells Abundant in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Early Multiple Sclerosis Patients, Study Finds
The research, led by Assaf Gottlieb, Ph.D., Assistant Professor with the Center for Precision Health at McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston, and J. William Lindsey, MD, Professor in the Department of Neurology at McGovern Medical School, found that early-stage MS patients’ cerebrospinal fluid contains many T-cells specific for EBV-infected cells.
Eight MS patients provided blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples for the investigation. The researchers stimulated patients’ blood cells using EBV-infected lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), cell-free EBV, varicella-zoster virus, influenza virus, and candida. T-cell receptor RNA sequencing was used to determine which stimuli cerebrospinal fluid T-cells responded to.
T-cells specific for LCL were significantly enriched in MS patients’ cerebrospinal fluid. MS’s distinctive pattern sets it apart from other neurologic disorders. On average, 13% of T-cells in the cerebral fluid of people with early MS symptoms were specific for EBV-infected autologous B lymphocytes, linking EBV to MS.
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Study Reveals High Presence of Epstein-Barr Virus T-Cells in Early Multiple Sclerosis
The most enlarged cerebrospinal fluid clones, which may contribute to MS pathophysiology, had 47% LCL-specific T-lymphocytes. T-cells from other prevalent illnesses were less abundant in CSF. T-cells may cause or contribute to multiple sclerosis, according to the study. The findings allow for future study of these T-cells’ role in disease development.
Epstein-Barr virus, a herpes virus, spreads through saliva. A chronic central nervous system disease, MS affects approximately 1.8 million people worldwide. Some severe MS patients lose their ability to walk, and there is no cure.
The Opal C. Rankin Professorship in Neurology and UTHealth Houston pilot grants financed the study. Drs. H. Phuong T. Pham and Jerome G. Saltarrelli co-authored.
