An Epstein Barr virus-related cross reactive autoimmune response in multiple sclerosis in Norway

In studies of patients in Norway with multiple sclerosis (MS), we have found cross reactive autoantibodies related to the Epstein Ban-virus nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1). The MS patients had elevated IgG antibody to EBNA-1, as measured by reactivity with a synthetic glycine/alanine peptide, P62, which represents the glycine/alanine repeat in EBNA-1. The mean titer of anti-P62 in patients with acute relapse at the time of assay was significantly higher than in the remaining patients. Patients with remitting/relapsing MS also had elevated autoantibody to a lymphocyte protein, p542, cross reactive with EBNA-1 through a glycine/serine epitope. High titered anti-EBNA-1 antibodies from some MS, as well as from some SLE sera, were shown to cross react with 80–82 kDa and 60 kDa proteins in neuroglial cells.