Long terminal repeats of human T-cell leukaemia virus II genome determine target cell specificity.
Human T-cell leukaemias and lymphomas associated with the human T-cell leukaemia viruses (HTLV) are invariably neoplasms of cells with mature T-lymphocyte phenotype. Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B- lymphoycte lines which are productively infected with HTLV may be isolated from patients with HTLV malignancies, but no non-lymphoid tissues seem to be involved. Here, to investigate the basis for this tissue specificity, we introduced type II HTLV (HTLV-II) into a variety of human cells by infection and also by transfection of recombinant genomes. We found no HTLV-II expression in non-lymphoid tissues although expression and correct initiation of transcription was observed in B and T lymphocytes. Our results using recombinant genomes indicate that the restriction of expression is at least partly due to cis-acting functions of the long terminal repeats which lie at each end of the HTLV genome.
D001483:Base Sequence; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D009876:Operon; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D012367:RNA, Viral