title: B cell lymphoma in HIV transgenic mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type I (HIV-1) infection is associated with a high incidence of B-cell lymphomas. The role of HIV in these lymphomas is unclear and currently there are no valid in vivo models for better understanding HIV-related lymphomagenesis. Transgenic (Tg) 26 mice have a 7.4-kb pNL4-3 HIV-1 provirus lacking a 3.1-kb sequence encompassing parts of the gag-pol region. Approximately 15% of these HIV Tg mice spontaneously develop lymphoma with hallmark pre-diagnostic markers including skin lesions, diffuse lymphadenopathy and an increase in pro-inflammatory serum cytokines. Here we describe the phenotypic and molecular characteristics of the B cell leukemia/lymphoma in the Tg mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The transformed B cell population consists of CD19+pre-BCR+CD127+CD43+CD93+ precursor B cells. The tumor cells are clonal and characterized by an increased expression of several cellular oncogenes. Expression of B cell-stimulatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-13 and TNFα and HIV proteins p17, gp120 and nef were elevated in the Tg mice with lymphoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased expression of HIV proteins and the B-cell stimulatory factors is consistent with the interpretation that one or more of these factors play a role in lymphoma development. The lymphomas share many similarities with those occurring in HIV/AIDS+ patients and may provide a valuable model for understanding AIDS-related lymphomagenesis and elucidating the role played by HIV-1.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. scurreli@ihv.umaryland.edu.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Curreli
authors.forename: Selvi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krishnan
authors.forename: Marvin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reitz
authors.forename: Yanto
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lunardi-Iskandar
authors.forename: Mark K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Lafferty
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garzino-Demo
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zella
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bryant
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000821:virology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D054298:Human Immunodeficiency Virus Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011533:Proviruses / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D016207:Cytokines; D004279:DNA, Viral; D054298:Human Immunodeficiency Virus Proteins