Journal Article DKFZ-2026-00122

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EBV infection and HLA-DR15 jointly drive multiple sclerosis by myelin peptide presentation.

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2026
Cell Press [Cambridge, Mass.]

Cell 189(2), 569-584.e14 () [10.1016/j.cell.2025.12.046]
 GO

Abstract: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is involved in causing and probably also in perpetuating multiple sclerosis (MS). Among several mechanisms of how EBV may contribute are transcriptome alterations, including changes of antigen processing and preferential presentation of both viral and self-antigens. Here, we report that EBV reprograms the transcriptome and immunopeptidome presented on the MS-associated human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR15 molecules of infected B cells. Identical myelin basic protein (MBP) peptides were found to be presented on both EBV-infected B cells and MS brain tissue but not primary B cells and thymic tissue. Peripheral memory and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-derived CD4+ T cells of HLA-DR15+ MS patients responded to MBP peptides, MBP(78-90) and/or MBP(83-90), and T cell clones raised with these peptides recognized all MBP peptides ending at amino acid MBP90 in MS brain tissue. Our study provides a new mechanistic link for how the environmental and genetic risk factors, EBV infection and HLA-DR15 haplotype, may contribute jointly to MS.

Keyword(s): B cells ; Epstein-Barr virus ; autoreactive CD4(+) T cells ; brain tissue ; immunopeptidome ; multiple sclerosis ; myelin basic protein peptide ; thymic tissue

Classification:

Note: #DKTKZFB26# / #NCTZFB9# / 2026 Jan 22;189(2):569-584.e14

Contributing Institute(s):
  1. DKTK Koordinierungsstelle Tübingen (TU01)
  2. Koordinierungsstelle NCT Heidelberg (HD02)
  3. DKTK TU AG Krebs-Immuntherapie (TU03)
  4. DKTK TU Translationale Immunologie (TU02)
Research Program(s):
  1. 899 - ohne Topic (POF4-899) (POF4-899)

Appears in the scientific report 2026
Database coverage:
Medline ; OpenAccess ; BIOSIS Previews ; Biological Abstracts ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Life Sciences ; Ebsco Academic Search ; Essential Science Indicators ; IF >= 60 ; JCR ; NationallizenzNationallizenz ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection
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 Record created 2026-01-16, last modified 2026-02-19


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