title: The role of the thymus in development of necrotizing arteritis in transgenic rats carrying the env-pX gene of human T-cell leukemia virus type-I.
abstract: Necrotizing arteritis mimicking polyarteritis nodosa occurred in transgenic rats carrying the env-pX gene of human T-cell leukemia virus type I. To investigate the pathogenesis of necrotizing arteritis in these rats (env-pX rats), adoptive transfers of spleen cells and bone marrow cells were done from env-pX rats before they developed arteritis to nontransgenic rats. Necrotizing arteritis occurred in lethally irradiated nontransgenic rats reconstituted by env-pX spleen cells, thus indicating that the env-pX transgene in affected vessels may not be essential for the development of arteritis. In contrast, arteritis was not induced in nontransgenic recipients by adoptive transfers of env-pX bone marrow cells, which suggested that T cells derived from the env-pX thymus may play a role in the development of arteritis. To clarify if the process of differentiation of T cells in the env-pX thymus is crucial to develop necrotizing arteritis, reciprocal exchange of thymus frameworks was done between env-pX and nontransgenic rats. Necrotizing arteritis occurred in nontransgenic rats with an env-pX thymus framework, whereas development of arteritis was suppressed in env-pX rats in which the thymus framework was replaced with a nontransgenic one. This collective evidence shows that the thymus is directly associated with the development of necrotizing arteritis in env-pX rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology/Pathophysiology, Division of Pathophysiological Science, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fugo
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishizu
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hayase
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugaya
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.forename: Muneharu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Asami
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshiki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D006801:Humans; D010488:Polyarteritis Nodosa / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic / Q000235:genetics*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology*; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins
chemical_list: D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; C072343:pX protein, Human T-lymphotropic virus 1