Epstein-Barr virus BZLF1 gene promoter variants in pediatric patients with acute infectious mononucleosis. Its comparison with pediatric lymphoma.

LORENZETTI MARIO; GUTIERREZ MARINA; ALTCHEH JAIME; MOSCATELLI GUILLERMO; MORONI SAMANTA; CHABAY PAOLA; PRECIADO MARIA VICTORIA

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY

WILEY-LISS, DIV JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Lugar: Nueva York; Año: 2009 vol. 81 p. 1912 - 1917

0146-6615

Epstein-Barr virus genotypes can be distinguished by polymorphic variations in the genes encoding EBNA2, 3A, 3B and 3C. The immediate early gene BZLF1 plays a key role in modulating the switch from latency to lytic replication and therefore enabling viral propagation. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare BZLF1 promoter sequence (Zp) variation in pediatric infectious mononucleosis (IM) and in pediatric EBV positive lymphoma biopsies. Zp was sequenced from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and throat swabs from ten patients with IM at the time of diagnosis (D0) and during convalescence; and from 13 lymphoma biopsies. Zp-P and Zp-V3 variants were found in 8 and 1 IM patients, as well as in 5 and 6 tumor biopsies respectively. A correlation between viral genotype and Zp variant was found significant for Zp-V3 and EBV2 (p=0.0002). One IM patient harbored 2 concomitant Zp variants. Regardless of anatomical compartment or stage of disease all IM patients displayed the same Zp variant along the course of the study. No new infections or adaptative selection of different variants was evidenced. A new Zp variant (Zp-V3+49) was described in two Hodgkin lymphomas, but not in IM. This is the first study to describe Zp variants compartmentalization in children with acute EBV infection and convalescence in a developing country; and comparing them with Zp variants in pediatric lymphomas from the same geographic area.