Serological profiling of the EBV immune response in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome using a peptide microarray.
- Resource Type
- Academic Journal
- Authors
- Loebel M; Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany.; Eckey M; JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH, Berlin, Germany.; Sotzny F; Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany.; Hahn E; Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany.; Bauer S; Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany.; Grabowski P; Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany.; Zerweck J; JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH, Berlin, Germany.; Holenya P; JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH, Berlin, Germany.; Hanitsch LG; Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany.; Wittke K; Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany.; Borchmann P; Department I of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany and German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG), Cologne, Germany.; Rüffer JU; German Fatigue Society e.V. (DFaG), Cologne, Germany.; Hiepe F; Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Ruprecht K; Department of Neurology and Clinical and Experimental Multiple Sclerosis Research Center, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Behrends U; Children's Hospital Schwabing, Technische Universität München (TUM), Munich, Germany.; Department of Gene Vectors, Helmholtz Center Munich (HMGU), Munich, Germany.; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, Munich, Germany.; Meindl C; Children's Hospital Schwabing, Technische Universität München (TUM), Munich, Germany.; Department of Gene Vectors, Helmholtz Center Munich (HMGU), Munich, Germany.; Volk HD; Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany.; Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Reimer U; JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH, Berlin, Germany.; Scheibenbogen C; Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany.; Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- Source
- Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE
- Subject
- Language
- English
Background: Epstein-Barr-Virus (EBV) plays an important role as trigger or cofactor for various autoimmune diseases. In a subset of patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) disease starts with infectious mononucleosis as late primary EBV-infection, whereby altered levels of EBV-specific antibodies can be observed in another subset of patients.
Methods: We performed a comprehensive mapping of the IgG response against EBV comparing 50 healthy controls with 92 CFS patients using a microarray platform. Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and cancer-related fatigue served as controls. 3054 overlapping peptides were synthesised as 15-mers from 14 different EBV proteins. Array data was validated by ELISA for selected peptides. Prevalence of EBV serotypes was determined by qPCR from throat washing samples.
Results: EBV type 1 infections were found in patients and controls. EBV seroarray profiles between healthy controls and CFS were less divergent than that observed for MS or SLE. We found significantly enhanced IgG responses to several EBNA-6 peptides containing a repeat sequence in CFS patients compared to controls. EBNA-6 peptide IgG responses correlated well with EBNA-6 protein responses. The EBNA-6 repeat region showed sequence homologies to various human proteins.
Conclusion: Patients with CFS had a quite similar EBV IgG antibody response pattern as healthy controls. Enhanced IgG reactivity against an EBNA-6 repeat sequence and against EBNA-6 protein is found in CFS patients. Homologous sequences of various human proteins with this EBNA-6 repeat sequence might be potential targets for antigenic mimicry.