Human T lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I) immortalizes human T cells in vitro--its implication in the pathogenesis of adult T cell leukemia (ATL).
HTLV-I is the first human retrovirus that was isolated from a patient with T-cell malignancy in 1980 in the United States. HTLV-I is detected in most patients with adult T cell leukemia (ATL) and healthy carriers, who are frequently found in the southwestern parts of Kyushu and Shikoku Districts. HTLV-I-infected cells express IL-2 receptors, and HTLV-I-infected T cell lines can be established from most of ATL patients in culture in the presence of IL-2. Furthermore, these IL-2 dependent T cell lines often begin to proliferate in the absence of IL-2 and to not respond to IL-2, despite IL-2 receptors on their cell surface, thus mimicking ATL cells in vivo. These findings suggest that HTLV-I is an etiological agent of ATL. In this mini-review, the T cell immortalizing activity of HTLV-I in vitro, with special reference to the evolution of ATL cells based on our results, is described.
Maeda
M
M
Chest Disease Research Institute, Kyoto University.
D015703:Antigens, CD; D002455:Cell Division; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000502:physiology; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000502:physiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D015703:Antigens, CD; D007376:Interleukin-2; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2