title: Immune responses and serum levels of cytokines in adult T-cell leukemia patients and human T-cell leukemia virus type-I carriers.
abstract: To find predictive parameters for development and progression of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) in human T-cell leukemia virus type-I (HTLV-I) carriers, we investigated cellular immune responses such as mitogenic responses and natural killer activity of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). And serum or plasma levels of cytokines, including tumor-necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and immunosuppressive acidic protein (IAP), were also measured in patients with ATL, healthy HTLV-I carriers and healthy HTLV-I non-carriers as controls. Results are as follows: (1) increased spontaneous proliferation and decreased mitogenic responses of PBMC already existed in HTLV-I carriers; (2) IAP was significantly higher in patients with acute/lymphoma type ATL than in those with chronic/smoldering type, HTLV-I carriers and HTLV-I non-carriers. These results suggest that spontaneous proliferation or mitogenic responses and IAP may be useful parameters for the development and progression of ATL from the carriers. Since HTLV-I carriers already have various grades of immunosuppression, we should seriously try to prevent further HTLV-I transmission.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakasone
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oshiro
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arakaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimoji
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Shinzato
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mimura
mesh_terms: D002353:Carrier State; D002455:Cell Division; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000473:pathology; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D008934:Mitogens; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C030193:immunosuppressive acidic protein; D007371:Interferon-gamma