title: Isolation of human T-cell leukemia virus type I from a transformed T-cell line derived spontaneously from lymphocytes of a seronegative Egyptian patient with mycosis fungoides.
abstract: Mycosis fungoides (MF) is a rare form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma that may be associated with human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) infection. Using the polymerase chain reaction, the HTLV-I pX region was constantly detected in the genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of an HTLV-I antibody-seronegative Egyptian MF patient enrolled in a study to isolate HTLV-I from North Africa. A CD4+ and interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor-positive T-cell line was established when the phytohemagglutinin-stimulated PBMCs of that patient were maintained in IL-2-containing culture medium. The cell line (EMF) was initially IL-2 dependent and then became IL-2 independent after gradual withdrawal of the IL-2. The cells reacted positively with monoclonal antibodies specific for the HTLV-I Env or HTLV-I Gag proteins. Using the Southern blot analysis, HTLV-I provirus could be detected in the genomic DNA extracted from the EMF cells. Limited nucleotide sequence of the env region showed more than 95% homology between the EMF provirus and other known HTLV-I isolates. Western blot analysis of the cell lysates showed the expression of the HTLV-I structural proteins. These data imply that a transforming HTLV-I provirus may be present, at least in certain cases of MF, regardless of the presence or absence of the specific antibodies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biodefense and Medical Virology, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: el-Farrash
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Salem
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morizono
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kannagi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harada
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002460:Cell Line; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D046508:Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004534:Egypt; D015752:Genes, env; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009182:Mycosis Fungoides / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins