title: Induction of T-cell apoptosis by human herpesvirus 6.
abstract: The mechanisms of cell death in CD4+ T cells mediated by human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) were investigated. The frequency of cell death in the human CD4+ T-cell line JJHAN, which had been inoculated with HHV-6 variant A or B, appeared to be augmented by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA from HHV-6-inoculated cells showed DNA fragmentation in multiples of the oligonucleosome length unit. The degree of DNA fragmentation increased when HHV-6-inoculated cells were cultured in the presence of TNF-alpha. Flow cytometry and Scatchard analysis of TNF receptors revealed an increase in the number of the p55 form of TNF receptors on JJHAN cells after HHV-6 inoculation. It also appeared that treatment with anti-Fas monoclonal antibody (MAb) induced marked apoptosis in HHV-6-inoculated cells. Transmission electron microscopy showed characteristics of apoptosis, such as chromatin condensation and fragmentation of nuclei, but virus particles were hardly detected in apoptotic cells. Two-color flow cytometric analysis using anti-HHV-6 MAb and propidium iodide revealed that DNA fragmentation was present predominantly in uninfected cells but not in productively HHV-6-infected cells. In addition, JJHAN cells incubated with UV light-irradiated and ultracentrifuged culture supernatant of HHV-6-infected cells appeared to undergo apoptosis. The present study demonstrated that both HHV-6 variants A and B induce apoptosis in CD4+ T cells by indirect mechanisms, as reported recently in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Ehime University School of Medicine, Shigenobu, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasukawa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujita
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000032:analysis; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000032:analysis; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D019014:fas Receptor