title: Multifaceted functions and roles of HBZ in HTLV-1 pathogenesis.
abstract: Human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is an oncogenic retrovirus responsible for the development of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). Although HTLV-1 harbors an oncogene, tax, that transforms T cells in vitro and induces leukemia in transgenic mice, tax expression is frequently disrupted in ATL, making the oncogenesis of ATL a bit mysterious. The HTLV-1 bZIP factor (HBZ) gene was discovered in 2002 and has been found to promote T-cell proliferation and cause lymphoma in transgenic mice. Thus HBZ has become a novel hotspot of HTLV-1 research. This review summarizes the current findings on HBZ with a special focus on its potential links to the oncogenesis of ATL. We propose viewing HBZ as a critical contributing factor in ATL development.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Virus Control, Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Guangyong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Virus Control, Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun-Ichirou
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yasunaga
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Virus Control, Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. mmatsuok@virus.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Masao
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0473-754X
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000821:virology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000821:virology*; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; C479751:HBZ protein, human T-cell leukemia virus type I; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins
keywords: HBZ; HTLV-1; Regulatory T cell; Tax; Viral oncogenesis