Identification of hepatitis B virus aetiologic antigens, HBx and Pre-S2, in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has been reported to have a significant association with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, there has been no experimental evidence to determine whether the components of the hepatitis B virus are expressed in lymphoid cells. In this study, we used immunohistochemical methods to explore whether the antigens of hepatitis B virus are expressed in DLBCL lymphoma cells in HBsAg-positive DLBCL patients (HBsAg + DLBCL). HBx antigen was detected in 48.9% of HBsAg + DLBCL patients, and the expression rate of the Pre-S2 antigen was 57.2%. HBx expression was significantly associated with high-level expression of c-Myc, while the Pre-S2 antigen was not. In this study, we demonstrated that HBx antigen and Pre-S2 antigen could be detected in lymphoma cells, and HBx expression was related to c-Myc expression. Our findings provide a strong basis for further study of the HBV-infected DLBCL and molecular mechanism underlying the lymphomagenesis.