title: Increased seroreactivity to human T cell lymphoma/leukemia virus-related endogenous sequence-1 Gag peptides in patients with human T cell lymphoma/leukemia virus myelopathy.
abstract: Previously, we had shown that although only 8% of patients with large granular lymphocytic leukemia (LGLL) were infected with human T cell lymphoma/leukemia virus (HTLV)-2, almost half had antibodies to HTLV Gag and Env peptides. Herein, we investigated whether this could be due to cross-reactive antibodies to two homologous peptides in the Gag protein of the endogenous retrovirus HTLV-related endogenous sequence-1 (HRES-1). In addition, we had previously shown that patients with HTLV neurodegenerative diseases had increased seroreactivity to homologous HERV-K10 endogenous retrovirus peptides. Hence, in this study we also examined whether these patients had increased seroreactivity to the aforementioned HRES-1 Gag peptides. Sera from 100 volunteer blood donors (VBD), 53 patients with LGLL, 74 subjects with HTLV-1 or 2 infection (58 nonmyelopathy and 16 myelopathy), and 83 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were evaluated. The HTLV-positive myelopathy (HAM) patients had a statistically increased prevalence of antibodies to both HRES-1 Gag peptides (81%) vs. the VBD (0%), LGLL patients (13%), and MS patients (1%), and the HTLV-positive nonmyelopathy subjects (21%). The data suggest that cross-reactivity to HRES-1 peptides could be involved in the pathogenesis of HAM. The difference between the VBD and LGLL patients was also statistically significant, also suggesting a possible association in a minority of patients.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University , Syracuse, New York.
authors.forename: Raisa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perzova
authors.forename: Elliot
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Graziano
authors.forename: Swathi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sanghi
authors.forename: Caitlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Welch
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Benz
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lalone
authors.forename: Jordan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glaser
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Loughran
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sheremata
authors.forename: Bernard J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Poiesz
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001782:Blood Donors; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020077:Endogenous Retroviruses / Q000276:immunology*; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000276:immunology*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000276:immunology*; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins