Walling Dennis M, Ray Autumn J, Nichols Joan E, Flaitz Catherine M, Nichols C Mark
Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-0435, USA.
J Virol. 2007 Jul;81(13):7249-68. doi: 10.1128/JVI.02754-06. Epub 2007 Mar 21.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human herpesvirus associated with many malignant and nonmalignant human diseases. Life-long latent EBV persistence occurs in blood-borne B lymphocytes, while EBV intermittently productively replicates in mucosal epithelia. Although several models have previously been proposed, the mechanism of EBV transition between these two reservoirs of infection has not been determined. In this study, we present the first evidence demonstrating that EBV latently infects a unique subset of blood-borne mononuclear cells that are direct precursors to Langerhans cells and that EBV both latently and productively infects oral epithelium-resident cells that are likely Langerhans cells. These data form the basis of a proposed new model of EBV transition from blood to oral epithelium in which EBV-infected Langerhans cell precursors serve to transport EBV to the oral epithelium as they migrate and differentiate into oral Langerhans cells. This new model contributes fresh insight into the natural history of EBV infection and the pathogenesis of EBV-associated epithelial disease.
爱泼斯坦-巴尔病毒（EBV）是一种普遍存在的人类疱疹病毒，与许多人类恶性和非恶性疾病相关。EBV在血源性B淋巴细胞中终身潜伏存在，而在黏膜上皮细胞中则间歇性地进行活跃复制。尽管此前已提出多种模型，但尚未确定EBV在这两种感染库之间转换的机制。在本研究中，我们首次提供证据表明，EBV潜伏感染血源性单核细胞的一个独特亚群，这些细胞是朗格汉斯细胞的直接前体细胞，并且EBV潜伏和活跃感染口腔上皮驻留细胞，这些细胞可能是朗格汉斯细胞。这些数据构成了一个关于EBV从血液转移至口腔上皮的新模型的基础，在该模型中，受EBV感染的朗格汉斯细胞前体细胞在迁移并分化为口腔朗格汉斯细胞的过程中，将EBV转运至口腔上皮。这个新模型为EBV感染的自然史以及EBV相关上皮疾病的发病机制提供了新的见解。
