title: Elevated antibodies to synthetic peptides of HTLV-1 envelope transmembrane glycoproteins in patients with HAM/TSP.
abstract: We studied the antibody response to various kinds of well-characterized synthetic peptides of human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) envelope glycoproteins in patients with HTLV-1 associated myelopathy (HAM)/tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) and non-HAM/TSP HTLV-1 carriers. The serum antibody titers to most of the synthetic peptides were significantly higher in patients with HAM/TSP than those in non-HAM/TSP HTLV-1 carriers. However, the degree of the increase of antibody titers to the synthetic peptides corresponding to the transmembrane portions of HTLV-1 envelope glycoproteins (env-p20E), such as p20E 332-352, 374-392, 426-448 and 458-488, was greater than those to synthetic peptides of exterior portions of HTLV-1 envelope glycoproteins (env-gp46) in sera from patients with HAM/TSP. Antibodies to env-p20E 332-352 and 374-392 were elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) only from patients with HAM/TSP but not from non-HAM/TSP HTLV-1 carriers. These data indicate that the increase of antibody titers to transmembrane portions of HTLV-1 envelope glycoproteins in sera and CSF is a characteristic feature of antibody response in patients with HAM/TSP and may be closely associated with the development of HAM/TSP from non-HAM/TSP HTLV-1 carriers.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuroki
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kira
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Itoyama
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shiraki
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Washitani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagafuchi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Anzai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D006023:Glycoproteins; D010455:Peptides; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins