title: No detection of HTLV-I DNA in punch skin biopsies from patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma by the polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: In this study we have tried to take advantage of the high genetic homology between conserved regions of human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) types I and II, hoping that a possible retrovirus in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) would have regions with homology to types I/II. DNA was extracted from punch skin biopsies from 21 patients and subjected to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using primer sets designed to match conserved regions in the HTLV-I/II genome. The PCR products were subjected to agarose gel electrophoresis with subsequent Southern blotting and hybridization to an HTLV-I probe. No bands of exogenous origin were seen on the agarose gel or by hybridization. If a retrovirus is present in the skin in CTCL patients, it is either not related to HTLV-I/II, present at a copy number below the PCR detection limit, or has been cleared from the skin before the clinical symptoms appear.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology (GL), Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lisby
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Reitz
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Vejlsgaard
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D016410:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral