title: Defective human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 provirus in asymptomatic carriers.
abstract: Few studies have specifically examined defective provirus in asymptomatic human T-lymphotropic virus Type 1 (HTLV-1) carriers and its relation to proviral DNA loads (PVLs). To assess the significance of defective provirus in asymptomatic carriers, we examined PVLs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 208 asymptomatic HTLV-1 carriers. The mean PVLs determined using primers for the pol region were less than that for the pX region in these carriers. Analysis of seven carriers with high PVLs for the pX region but lower PVLs for the pol region showed that four had single nucleotide polymorphisms of proviral genomes for the pol region and three had HTLV-1-infected cells with defective provirus. Three carriers with defective provirus showed high PVLs at their initial screens, and PVLs increased after a 10- to 12-year interval in two carriers. Southern blot assay showed clonal expansion of HTLV-1-infected cells, and the predominant clones changed during the observation period. These data suggest that although HTLV-1-infected cells with defective provirus may have a growth advantage, the predominant clones of HTLV-1-infected cells do not always survive for many years in asymptomatic carriers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Infectious Diseases and Laboratory Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takenouchi
authors.forename: Kazumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Umeki
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nomura
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Takajo
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Kunihiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Umekita
authors.forename: Shimeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamihira
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morishita
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okayama
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002353:Carrier State / Q000821:virology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D003673:Defective Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000821:virology*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011533:Proviruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019562:Viral Load; D014771:Virion / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral