Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) is a ubiquitous pathogen associated with nervous and endocrine autoimmune disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of HHV-6 in pancreatic tissue sections from non-diabetic, auto-antibody positive (AAB+), and donors with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and explore whether there is any association between HHV-6 and MHC class I hyperexpression and CD8 T cell infiltration. HHV-6 DNA was detected by PCR and its protein was examined by indirect immunofluorescence assay followed by imaging using high-resolution confocal microscopy. Viral DNA (U67) was found in most pancreata of non-diabetic (3 out of 4), AAB+ (3 out of 5) and T1D donors (6 out of 7). Interestingly, HHV-6 glycoprotein B (gB) was more expressed in islets and exocrine pancreas of donors with T1D. However, gB expression was not directly associated with other pathologies. Out of 20 islets with high gB expression, only 3 islets (15%) showed MHC class I hyperexpression. Furthermore, no correlation was found between gB expression and CD8 T cell infiltration on a per-islet basis in any of the groups. Our observations indicate that HHV-6 DNA and protein are present in the pancreas of non-diabetic subjects but gB expression is higher in the pancreas of donors with T1D. The possible role of HHV-6 as a contributory factor for T1D should therefore be further investigated.

中文翻译：

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人疱疹病毒6在1型糖尿病供体的胰腺组织中含量较高。

人疱疹病毒6（HHV-6）是与神经和内分泌自身免疫性疾病相关的普遍存在的病原体。这项研究的目的是调查非糖尿病，自身抗体阳性（AAB +）和1型糖尿病供体（T1D）的胰腺组织切片中HHV-6的存在，并探讨HHV- 6和MHC I类超表达和CD8 T细胞浸润。通过PCR检测HHV-6 DNA，并通过间接免疫荧光测定法检测其蛋白，然后使用高分辨率共聚焦显微镜成像。在大多数非糖尿病胰脏（4个中有3个），AAB +（5个中有3个）和T1D供体（7个中有6个）中发现了病毒DNA（U67）。有趣的是，HHV-6糖蛋白B（gB）在患有T1D的供体的胰岛和外分泌胰腺中表达更多。然而，gB表达不与其他病理直接相关。在具有高gB表达的20个胰岛中，只有3个胰岛（15％）显示出MHC I类高表达。此外，在任何组中，基于每个胰岛的gB表达与CD8 T细胞浸润之间均未发现相关性。我们的观察结果表明，非糖尿病受试者的胰腺中存在HHV-6 DNA和蛋白质，而T1D供体的胰腺中gB表达更高。因此，应进一步研究HHV-6作为T1D贡献因素的可能作用。我们的观察结果表明，非糖尿病受试者的胰腺中存在HHV-6 DNA和蛋白质，而T1D供体的胰腺中gB表达更高。因此，应进一步研究HHV-6作为T1D贡献因素的可能作用。我们的观察结果表明，非糖尿病受试者的胰腺中存在HHV-6 DNA和蛋白质，而T1D供体的胰腺中gB表达更高。因此，应进一步研究HHV-6作为T1D贡献因素的可能作用。