Persistent HTLV-I infection of breast luminal epithelial cells: a role in HTLV transmission?
Human T cell leukemia viruses are predominantly transmitted from mother to child by breastfeeding. Endemic levels of HTLV infection are associated with ethnic groups that have traditionally practised long-term breastfeeding. In the course of long-term lactation, we have found that human milk contains leukocytes and epithelial cells and that mixed primary cultures of these milk cells are susceptible to HTLV-I infection in vitro. We have established and characterized an immortalized line of milk epithelial cells, HTLV-LEC, that are productively infected and transformed with HTLV-I. This is the first reported case of human cells, other than T cells, that are transformed with HTLV-I. Cultures of HTLV-LEC are distinctive because of the synthesis of an extensive extracellular matrix that appears to support in vitro morphogenesis. HTLV-I infection can be transmitted from HTLV-LEC into normal epithelial cells and leukocytes. Our results suggest that infected epithelial cells could be involved in the persistence and transmission of virus infection in HTLV-I carriers.
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Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA. sarka@lenti.med.umn.edu
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D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001940:Breast / Q000166:cytology / Q000821:virology*; D018968:CD58 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002470:Cell Survival; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000821:virology; D005109:Extracellular Matrix; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000635:transmission; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D019012:Integrin beta1 / Q000378:metabolism; D007422:Intestines / Q000166:cytology / Q000821:virology; D007774:Lactation; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000821:virology; D009024:Morphogenesis; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D017735:Virus Latency
D018968:CD58 Antigens; D015820:Cadherins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D019012:Integrin beta1; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2