title: Infection of human endothelial cells by human T-cell leukemia virus type I.
abstract: The effects of the human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) on cultured human endothelial cells were evaluated. Coculture of endothelial monolayers with either irradiated HTLV-producing lymphocytes or cell-free virus resulted in the production of multinucleated syncytia. The development of syncytia was inhibited by sera from patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL). HTLV antigens were present on endothelial syncytia passaged in culture for greater than 3 months as detected by an anti-p19 monoclonal antibody, which detects a core protein of HTLV-I, and by ATLL sera. Moreover, these HTLV-infected endothelial cells were then able to infect and transform normal cord blood T lymphocytes with HTLV. These studies demonstrate that human endothelial cells are susceptible to productive HTLV-I infection in vitro and may have relevance for the spectrum of human disease associated with this family of retroviruses.
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004727:Endothelium / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011247:Pregnancy; D014471:Umbilical Veins / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000956:Antigens, Viral