[Expression of sequences homologous to HTLV-I pXIV gene in the labial salivary glands of Japanese patients with Sjögren's syndrome and pathogenesis].
To address the question of whether the human T cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) gene is associated with the etiology of Sjögren's syndrome (SS), RNA expression of HTLV-I gag, pol, env, and tax genes in labial salivary glands (LSGs) from SS patients who were seronegative for antibodies to HTLV-I was examined using RT-PCR method. The HTLV-I tax gene, but not the HTLV-I gag, pol, or env genes, was detected in LSG samples from 4 of 14 patients (29%). The nucleotide sequences of the HTLV-I pXIV region in these 4 patients' LSGs showed 100% homology to the HTLV-I pXIV gene from the MT-2 cell line. In conclusion, these findings suggest that products encoding sequences homologous to the HTLV-I pXIV gene in SS patients' LSGs might be candidates for self-antigen and/or lead to activation of autoreactive T lymphocytes through trans-acting transcriptional activation.
Division of Dermatology, Sakura Hospital, Toho University School of Medicine.
F
F
Yonaha-Nagato
T
T
Sumida
D044466:Asian People; D001483:Base Sequence; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D005814:Genes, Viral; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000821:virology*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*
D012367:RNA, Viral