Expression of LFA-1 by a lymphoblastoid cell line from a patient with monosomy 21: effects on intercellular adhesion

Epstein-Barr Virus Induces Adhesion Receptor CD226 (DNAM-1) Expression during Primary B-Cell Transformation into Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), an oncogenic herpesvirus, infects and transforms primary B cells into immortal lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), providing a model for EBV-mediated tumorigenesis. EBV transformation stimulates robust homotypic aggregation, indicating that EBV induces molecules that mediate cell-cell adhesion. We report that EBV potently induced expression of the adhesion molecule CD226, which is not normally expressed on B cells. We found that early after infection of primary B cells, EBV promoted an increase in CD226 mRNA and protein expression. CD226 levels increased further from early proliferating EBV-positive B cells to LCLs. We found that CD226 expression on B cells was independent of B-cell activation as CpG DNA failed to induce CD226 to the extent of EBV infection. CD226 expression was high in EBV-infected B cells expressing the latency III growth program, but low in EBV-negative and EBV latency I-infected B-lymphoma cell lines. We validated this correlation by demonstrating that the latency III characteristic EBV NF-κB activator, latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), was sufficient for CD226 upregulation and that CD226 was more highly expressed in lymphomas with increased NF-κB activity. Finally, we found that CD226 was not important for LCL steady-state growth, survival in response to apoptotic stress, homotypic aggregation, or adhesion to activated endothelial cells. These findings collectively suggest that EBV induces expression of a cell adhesion molecule on primary B cells that may play a role in the tumor microenvironment of EBV-associated B-cell malignancies or facilitate adhesion in the establishment of latency in vivo. IMPORTANCE Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a common human herpesvirus that establishes latency in B cells. While EBV infection is asymptomatic for most individuals, immune-suppressed individuals are at significantly higher risk of a form of EBV latent infection in which infected B cells are reactivated, grow unchecked, and generate lymphomas. This form of latency is modeled in the laboratory by infecting B cells from the blood of normal human donors in vitro. In this model, we identified a protein called CD226 that is induced by EBV but is not normally expressed on B cells. Rather, it is known to play a role in aggregation and survival signaling of non-B cells in the immune system. Cultures of EBV-infected cells adhere to one another in "clumps," and while the proteins that are responsible for this cellular aggregation are not fully understood, we hypothesized that this form of cellular aggregation may provide a survival advantage. In this article, we characterize the mechanism by which EBV induces this protein and its expression on lymphoma tissue and cell lines and characterize EBV-infected cell lines in which CD226 has been knocked out.

Combined immunodeficiency in a patient with mosaic monosomy 21

Monosomy 21 is an extremely rare genetic disorder presenting with a wide array of symptoms. Recurrent infections, some life threatening, have been reported in several monosomy 21 patients and attributed to an, as of yet, undefined immunodeficiency. Here we report on a 3-year-old boy with mosaic monosomy 21 who presented with clinical and laboratory evidence of immunodeficiency. Despite suffering from infections highly suggestive of a cell-mediated immune defect, the patient's T cells displayed normal counts, subsets and proliferation capability. T cell receptor repertoire was diverse, and de novo T cell production was intact. Consistent with earlier case reports, our patient displayed mildly low B cell counts with hypogammaglobulinemia. B cell subsets demonstrated mainly naïve and marginal zone B cells that have not undergone class switch. Subsequently, IgG, IgA and IgE levels were near absent, whereas IgM level was normal. De novo B cell production and B cell receptor diversity were normal. Together, these results are indicative of a defect in immunoglobulin class switching as the principal cause of immunodeficiency in monosomy 21. A better understanding of the immunodeficiency in this syndrome will enable targeted treatment and prevention of infections in order to prevent morbidity and mortality in these patients.

Molecular characterization of leukocyte adhesion deficiency in six patients

Leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) is caused by defects in the CD18 gene, which codes for the common beta 2 subunit of the leukocyte integrins LFA-1, Mac-1 and p150,95. Failure to produce a functional beta 2 subunit results in the defective expression of all three leukocyte integrins, and the leukocytes of LAD patients have subnormal adhesion properties. Six patients with LAD were studied. Patient B was homozygous and carried a G284S mutation. A two-bp (GA) deletion at position 1256 (1256 delta GA) was found in the cDNA of patient C, who also had an abnormally large mRNA of 4.3 kb. Patients E and K were siblings and were heterozygous at the genomic level. One defective allele contained a mutation in intron 6/7 which created a preemptive 3' splice site. The resulting mRNA has 12 extra bases at the junction of exons 6 and 7, coding for four extra residues PSSQ in the protein. The same allele also carried a R586W mutation. The other allele was transcribed at a low level and was not characterized. Patient G carried a L149P mutation in one allele; again, the other allele was not characterized due to low transcription levels. Patient R carried two mutant alleles with G284S and R593C mutations respectively. The G284S mutation and the 1256 delta GA deletion have not been reported previously. CD18 cDNA carrying the abnormalities were cotransfected with normal CD11a or CD11b cDNA into COS cells. Expression of the LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18) and Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18) antigens on COS cells was not detected, suggesting that these two mutations are sufficient to account for LAD.

Analysis of gene-dosage effects on the expression of CD18 by trisomy 21 lymphoblastoid cell-lines using a statistical model to fit flow cytometry profiles

It is not clear whether Down syndrome, the phenotypic expression of constitutional trisomy for chromosome 21 (T21), is the result of generalised disruption of homeostasis resulting from genetic imbalance, or the over-expression of specific genes on chromosome 21. In order to understand the effect of gene dosage more clearly, we have analysed the predicted and actual levels of expression of the leucocyte integrin beta subunit CD 18 on the surface of T21 leucocytes. Previous studies showed that CD18 expression by T21 lymphoid cell lines (LCL) is greater than on normal LCL. We have now developed a computer model that compares the observed and predicted CD18 flow cytometric profiles for trisomy 21 LCL. Three parameters (alpha, beta and gamma) have been defined that measure different aspects of gene dosage. Using the computer model to calculate these parameters, we have carried out a series of paired comparisons between normal and T21 LCL. The results show that, in some T21 LCL, increased CD18 expression is proportional to the existing gene dosage, in another set the effect is additive, whereas in others there is a combination of proportional and additive effects. The results suggest that gene regulation can exert pleiotropic effects on gene-dosage, and is consistent with a model in which gene dosage itself is the cause of disrupted homeostasis.