Diseases with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are among the most common viral infections in humans. The initial infection causes glandular fever in children and young adults with symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes and feelings of exhaustion. However, only some get the disease and others don’t. The reasons have so far been unclear. The Medical University of Vienna has discovered a cause. The team led by Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stöckl, head of the Center for Virology and “Scientist of the Year 2020”, has identified a specific immune response against the Epstein-Barr virus. The study results were in the specialist magazine “Blood” published.
The multiplication of EBV in the body is combated by an antiviral immune response by T cells. In addition to classical mechanisms, there is also a “non-classical” T cell response to destroy virus-infected cells. Here, specific components of the virus, called peptides, are presented to the antibodies by a molecule called HLA-E on the surface of the infected cells. Due to a gene variation called HLA-E*0103/0103, more HLA-E molecules are naturally present on cells in a third of the population.
The team reports that people with HLA-E*0103/0103 are less likely to develop mononucleosis than people with another variant. The gene variant is also associated with a pronounced EBV-specific immune response, which offers sustained protection against renewed EBV infection. Thus, it could be worth targeting the mechanism for the development of future vaccines.