MOLECULAR AND IMMUNOLOGIC STUDIES OF HUMAN T CELL LEUKEMIA VIRUS TYPE II

我们实验室的研究主要集中在分子和 人T细胞嗜淋病病毒II型的免疫学特性。 利用我们从患者群体中分离出来的病毒，我们已经证明 事实上，这种病毒有三种分子亚型 现被命名为HTLV-IIa、IIb和IIc。初步研究还表明， 提示这些可能是三者之间的表型差异。 子类型。具体地说，可以证明税务蛋白是 被认为在HTLV白血病发生中的重要性不同于 亚型和目前的研究正在进行中，以确定这是否可能 导致不同亚型致病力的差异。在我们的免疫学中 我们的研究主要集中在HTLV-II体内感染的趋向性和 调查感染是否会导致感染者的克隆性扩张 细胞群。这些研究表明，这三种病毒亚型 对CD8+T淋巴细胞有优先趋向性。此外， 感染似乎确实会导致这些细胞的扩张。正在进行的研究和 未来将决定病毒调节蛋白在这方面的作用 过程，以及作为病毒早期事件的扩张的重要性- 诱导白血病发生。

Studies from our laboratory have focussed on the molecular and immunological properties of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type II. Employing virus isolates from our patient population we have demonstrated that there are in fact three molecular subtypes of the virus which have now been designated HTLV-IIa, IIb and IIc. Preliminary studies have also suggested that these may be phenotypic differences between the three subtypes. Specifically it could be shown that the tax protein which is believed to be important in HTLV leukemogensis differs between the subtypes and current studies are underway to determine if this may result in idfferences in subtype pathogenicity. In our immunological studies we have focussed on the tropism of HTLV-II infection in vivo and investigated whether infection porduces clonal expansion of the infected cell populations. These studies have shown that all three virus subtypes have a preferential tropism for CD8+ T lymphocytes. In addition the infection does appear to cause expansion of these. Studies underway and in the future will determine the role of virus regulatory proteins in this process, and the importance of expansion as an early event in virus- induced leukemogenesis.