Presence of lytic Epstein‐Barr virus infection in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background Chromogenic Epstein‐Barr virus‐encoded RNA (EBER) in situ hybridization (EBER‐ISH) is the gold standard to detect Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) but it is difficult to use in conjunction with immunohistochemistry (IHC). In this study, our purpose was to validate the sensitivity and specificity...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Head & neck 2018-07, Vol.40 (7), p.1515-1523
Main Authors: Yu, Fenggang, Lu, Yanan, Petersson, Fredrik, Wang, De‐Yun, Loh, Kwok Seng
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
BRLF1 gene
CD45 antigen
Cytokeratin
Epithelial cells
Epithelium
Epstein-Barr virus
Epstein‐Barr virus‐encoded RNA (EBER)
Fibroblasts
Formaldehyde
Head and neck
Immunohistochemistry
Infections
Leukocytes
mRNA
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Nasopharynx
Nose
Paraffin
Phenotypes
RNA viruses
RNAscope in situ hybridization
Stroma
Throat cancer
Tumor cells
Tumors
Vimentin
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background Chromogenic Epstein‐Barr virus‐encoded RNA (EBER) in situ hybridization (EBER‐ISH) is the gold standard to detect Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) but it is difficult to use in conjunction with immunohistochemistry (IHC). In this study, our purpose was to validate the sensitivity and specificity of RNAscope in detection of EBV infection in nasal epithelium and its stroma. Methods Fluorescence‐based RNAscope EBER‐ISH, BRLF1‐ISH, and lineage marker‐IHC were performed on archived formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissues from normal nasal cavity (n = 5), nasopharynx (n = 8), and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) specimens (n = 10). Results The EBERs were detected in 10 of 10 NPC samples but was absent in all normal tissues from the nasal cavity and nasopharynx. The EBERs were exclusively located in pan‐cytokeratin (pan‐CK)‐positive tumor epithelial cells but not in CD45‐positive leukocytes and vimentin‐positive stromal fibroblasts. The level of EBER expression varied in tumor cells within patient and between patients as well. Additionally, 5 of 10 patients had positive BRLF‐ISH. Conclusion We developed a simple and reproducible method to simultaneously detect mRNA and protein in formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissues of NPC. As a single staining, traditional EBER continues to be useful; however, for interpretation of the phenotype of EBV‐infected cells, RNAscope is superior. Significantly, we showed that lytic EBV infection took place in NPC tumors.
ISSN:1043-3074
1097-0347
DOI:10.1002/hed.25131