title: Large granular lymphocytosis in a patient infected with HTLV-II.
abstract: HTLV-II has been associated with a variety of lymphoproliferative disorders, including atypical hairy cell leukemia, chronic T cell leukemia, T prolymphocytic leukemia, and large granular lymphocytic leukemia. However, a direct or indirect role for HTLV-II in these disorders is not yet firmly established. We studied a patient diagnosed as having leukemia of the large granular lymphocyte (LGL) type who was HTLV-II seropositive, to determine if the expanded cell population was infected. Two populations of CD3-CD16+ LGL were identified; one was CD8+, the other CD8-. Populations of cells with these surface markers as well as normal CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ cells were separated by flow cytometric methods, DNA extracted, and gene regions of HTLV-II pol and tax amplified, using the polymerase chain reaction, and probed after Southern blotting. HTLV-II was detected in the CD3+CD8+ population, and not in the CD3-CD16+ large granular lymphocyte population. This finding indicates that the role of HTLV-II, if any, in LGL proliferation is indirect.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Viral Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Institute, Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Maryland 21702-1201.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Biggar
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hamlin-Green
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Staal
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mann
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D016355:Genes, pX; D015751:Genes, pol; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000150:complications*; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000150:complications*; D008218:Lymphocytosis / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D004279:DNA, Viral