Plasmablastic lymphomas show restricted EBV latency profile and MYC gene aberrations

Abstract

The pathogenesis of plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) involves the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and MYC gene aberrations. We aimed to determine the EBV latent infection pattern and frequency of MYC gene aberrations in PBLs. Immunohistochemistry was performed using antibodies for EBNA1, EBNA2, and LMP1 while fluorescence in situ hybridization was performed using a MYC probe. The patient cohort comprised 49 adult cases (44 were HIV-positive and three were HIV-negative). Forty-one cases were EBV-positive with 11 EBNA1-positive cases, all cases EBNA2-negative, and four LMP1-positive cases. Latency 0 was determined in 29 cases, latency I in eight cases, and latency II in four cases. The MYC gene was rearranged in eight cases, showed copy number alterations in 11 cases and, no rearrangement in 11 cases. This is the largest cohort of PBLs from South Africa to show a predominantly restricted EBV latency pattern with MYC gene aberrations as a common finding.

Keywords:

• Plasmablastic lymphoma
• Epstein-Barr virus
• human immunodeficiency virus
• MYC gene
• viral latency

Author contributions

AR wrote the manuscript. RK performed the experiments/laboratory work. DG and AR designed the study and selected the cases. AR and RK analyzed the data. All authors read, revised, and approved the final manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no competing interest.

Data availability statement

The data supporting this paper can be accessed on the University of Cape Town’s Institutional Data Repository (ZivaHub) with the identifier https://doi.org/10.25375/uct.15124029.v1.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the NHLS Research Trust (Grant No. 00494694).