2026-04-18T04:24:43Zhttps://recercat.cat/oai/request

oai:recercat.cat:10230/448842026-03-24T07:06:36Zcom_2072_6col_2072_452952

00925njm 22002777a 4500 dc Zabalza, Ana author Vera, Andrea author Alari-Pahissa, Elisenda author Munteis Olivas, Elvira author Moreira Villanueva, Antía author Yélamos López, José author Llop, Mireia author López-Botet, M. (Miguel) author Martínez Rodríguez, José Enrique author 2020-06-03T06:16:38Z 2020-06-03T06:16:38Z 2020 Background: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection has been recently associated with a low risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), yet the basis behind this observation remains uncertain. In this study, we aimed to determine in MS patients whether HCMV induces modifications in the peripheral B cell compartment. Methods: HCMV serostatus was determined in 73 MS patients (55 relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS); 18 progressive MS (PMS)) and 30 healthy controls, assessing their B cell immunophenotype and cytokine production (GM-CSF, IL-6, IL-10, and TNFα) by flow cytometry. Results: HCMV seropositivity in untreated MS patients (n = 45) was associated with reduced switched memory B cells, contrasting with an opposite effect in PMS. Expansions of transitional B cells were observed in HCMV(+) IFNβ-treated RRMS patients but not in HCMV(-) cases (p < 0.01), suggesting that HCMV may influence the distribution of B cell subsets modulating the effects of IFNβ. Considering the B cell functional profile, HCMV(-) PMS displayed an increased secretion of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNFα) as compared to HCMV(+) PMS and RRMS cases (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our study reveals an influence of HCMV infection on the phenotype and function of B cells, promoting early differentiation stages in RRMS and reducing the proinflammatory cytokine profile in advanced MS forms, which might be related with the putative protective role of this virus in MS. This work was supported by grants FIS/PI17/00254, SAF 2016-80363-C2-1-R (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and FEDER), the EU FP7-MINECO Infect-ERA Program (PCIN-2015-191-C02-01), and Red Española de Esclerosis Múltiple (REEM) from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, the European Regional Development Fund (Grant RD16/0015/0011), and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. B cells Human cytomegalovirus Interferon-beta Multiple sclerosis Impact of cytomegalovirus infection on B cell differentiation and cytokine production in multiple sclerosis