Ballerini, Chiara;
Amoriello, Roberta;
Maghrebi, Olfa;
Bellucci, Gianmarco;
Addazio, Ilaria;
Betti, Matteo;
Aprea, Maria Grazia;
... Amato, Maria Pia; + view all
(2025)
Exploring the role of EBV in multiple sclerosis pathogenesis through EBV interactome.
Frontiers in Immunology
, 16
, Article 1557483. 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1557483.
Preview |
PDF
Exploring the role of EBV in multiple sclerosis pathogenesis through EBV interactome.pdf - Published Version Download (4MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a known risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS), even though the underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear and engage multiple immune pathways. Furthermore, the ultimate role of EBV in MS pathogenesis is still elusive. In contrast, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been identified as a protective factor for MS. / / Objectives: This study aims to identify MS-associated genes that overlap with EBV interactome and to examine their expression in immune and glial cell subtypes. / / Methods: We used P-HIPSTer, GWAS, and the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) to derive data on the EBV interactome, MS-associated genes and single-cell gene expression in immune and glial cells. The geneOverlap and dplyr R packages identified overlapping genes. A similar analysis was done for CMV and Adenovirus as negative control. Metascape and GTEx analyzed biological pathways and brain-level gene expression; transcriptomic analysis was performed on glial cells and peripheral blood in MS and controls. All the analyses performed in this study were generated using publicly available data sets. / / Results: We identified a “core” group of 21 genes shared across EBV interactome, MS genes, and immune and glial cells (p<0.001). Pathway analysis revealed expected associations, such as immune system activation, and unforeseen results, like the prolactin signaling pathway. BCL2 in astrocytes, MINK1 in microglia were significantly upregulated while AHI1 was downregulated in MS compared to controls. / / Conclusions: Our findings offer novel insights into EBV and CMV interaction with immune and glial cells in MS, that may shed light on mechanisms involved in disease pathophysiology.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Exploring the role of EBV in multiple sclerosis pathogenesis through EBV interactome |
| Location: | Switzerland |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1557483 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1557483 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2025 Ballerini, Amoriello, Maghrebi, Bellucci, Addazio, Betti, Aprea, Masciulli, Caporali, Penati, Ballerini, De Meo, Portaccio, Salvetti and Amato. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
| Keywords: | interactome, MS pathogenesis, EBV, CMV, immune cells. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Neuroinflammation |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10214514 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
