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Association between EBNA2 and LMP1 subtypes of Epstein-Barr virus and nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Thais.
Tiwawech D.*
Srivatanakul P.
Karalak A,
Ishida T.
*Research Division, National Cancer Institute, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
Email:tdanai@hotmail.com
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated malignancy that is common in Thailand. The association of the EBV nuclear antigen 2 gene (EBNA2) and the latent membrane protein 1 gene (LMP1) with NPC is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between EBNA2 and LMP1 subtypes of EBV and NPC in Thais. STUDY DESIGN: EBV DNA from blood samples of 75 Thai patients with NPC and 44 age-matched controls was examined by PCR for EBNA2 subtypes (EBV type 1 and type 2) and LMP1 subtypes (wild-type LMP1 (wt-LMP1) and LMP1 containing a 30-bp deletion (del-LMP1)). RESULTS: The frequencies of EBV type 1 in cases (96.0%) and controls (97.7%) were similar. The frequency of del-LMP1 in cases (58.7%) was higher than in controls (36.4%) (p=0.023). Among NPC patients, the frequency of del-LMP1 in stages III and IV (65.6%) was higher than in stages I and II (18.2%) (p=0.006). By analyzing nucleotide sequence of the LMP1 region, a new subtype, Thai1, was identified. CONCLUSION: LMP1 subtypes of EBV may be involved in NPC susceptibility. The del-LMP1 variant may be a useful molecular marker for early detection, diagnosis and prognosis of Thai patients with NPC.
J Clin Virol. 2008 May;42(1):1-6. Epub 2008 Jan 3.
