Gene Expression Profiling of Epstein-Barr Virus-positive and -negative Monomorphic B-cell Posttransplant Lymphoproliferative Disorders

Although most posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) are related to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, approximately 20% lack detectable EBV (EBV−). It is uncertain whether the latter cases are truly distinct from EBV+ PTLD or possibly relate to another infectious agent. This study used gene expression profiling to further investigate the relationship between EBV+ and EBV− monomorphic B-cell PTLD, and to search for clues to their pathogenesis. Affymetrix HU133A GeneChips were used to compare 4 EBV+ and 4 EBV− cases of monomorphic B-cell PTLD. Hierarchical clustering successfully distinguished the EBV+ and EBV− groups. Relative to EBV− PTLD, 54 transcripts were over-expressed in EBV+ PTLD. The transcripts identified included IRF7 (a known regulator of EBV LMP1 expression), EBI2 (EBV-induced gene 2), and 3 that are interferon induced (MX1, IFITM1, and IFITM3). In addition, the EBV+ group contained 232 transcripts decreased relative to the EBV− group, including changes concordant with those previously reported after EBV infection of cultured B-cell lines. In summary, in a small group of monomorphic B-cell PTLD, EBV+ cases demonstrated a subset of gene expression changes associated with EBV infection of B cells. By contrast, EBV− PTLD lacked viral-associated changes suggesting that they are biologically distinct.