Infection of rats with HTLV-1: a small-animal model for HTLV-1 carriers.
A human T-cell line producing human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I), MT-2, was injected intravenously into female F344 rats aged 5 weeks to make HTLV-I carrier rats. Antibody against HTLV-I was detected at the 5th week after MT-2 injection, and its titer reached a high plateau which continued from the 15th to the 27th week. The antibodies were against p19, p24, p28 and p53 of HTLV-I antigens from MT-2 cells. The gag, pX and LTR nucleotide sequences of HTLV-I provirus were demonstrated by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the peripheral-blood mononuclear cells of 3 rats at the 44th week and 2 at the 66th to 68th week out of 8 F344 rats injected with MT-2 cells. Quantification of the HTLV-I proviral sequence revealed that 30 to 60 molecules were present in 10(5) peripheral-blood mononuclear cells, indicating that the rats were chronically infected with HTLV-I. HTLV-I-infected rats could serve as a small-animal model for studying the pathophysiological state of HTLV-I carriers and also that of HTLV-I infection on various HTLV-I-related diseases, including adult T-cell leukemia and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy.
Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
T
T
Suga
T
T
Kameyama
T
T
Kinoshita
K
K
Shimotohno
M
M
Matsumura
H
H
Tanaka
S
S
Kushida
Y
Y
Ami
M
M
Uchida
K
K
Uchida
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002353:Carrier State; D002460:Cell Line; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D015486:HTLV-I Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007700:Kinetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000382:microbiology*
D004279:DNA, Viral; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies; D015486:HTLV-I Antigens