IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-Host Genetics and B Cell Reprogramming by Epstein-Barr Virus

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speaker described research linking Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to multiple sclerosis (MS). Epidemiological evidence is strong, including a 2022 Science study showing EBV infection usually occurs years before MS onset. To explore mechanisms, the team analyzed whole-genome and viral DNA data from large cohorts such as All of Us and UK Biobank, finding EBV DNA was more common in MS patients and increased with age. A GWAS identified 39 host loci associated with EBV regulation, many overlapping MS and other autoimmune-risk genes, especially HLA. Functional tests and spatial transcriptomics suggested these genes act in lymphoid tissues. The team also developed improved methods to detect EBV in single-cell RNA-seq and found EBV-positive B cells, especially memory B cells and antibody-secreting cells, in MS samples. EBV-infected cells showed increased expression of MS-risk and immune genes, suggesting EBV-infected B cells may be a key site where MS risk is activated.

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Date April 18, 2026 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Room 153C

Session Systems-level Human Immune Profiling Data Resources and Analysis, Sponsored by the Human Immunol. Project Consortium (HIPC), La Jolla Inst. for Immunology

Speaker Yoshiaki Yasumizu

Track Computational and Systems Immunology (COMP)

Year 2026

Keywords

Epstein-Barr virus

multiple sclerosis

EBV infection

GWAS

HLA genes

B cells

April 18, 2026 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

153C

Systems-level Human Immune Profiling Data Resources and Analysis, Sponsored by the Human Immunol. Project Consortium (HIPC), La Jolla Inst. for Immunology

Yoshiaki Yasumizu

Computational and Systems Immunology (COMP)

2026