MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS OF HTLV-1

本项目的目的是研究人类嗜T淋巴细胞病毒I型 HTLV-I的起源、进化及其在热带地区的致病作用 痉挛性轻瘫/HTLV-I相关脊髓病（TSP/HAM）。 研究 HTLV-I的起源、演变及在世界范围内的传播情况， 来自感染个体的离体样品的病毒序列， 了解其来源、临床诊断和一般背景。 使用此 通过这种方法，我们能够鉴定出一种新的HTLV-I变体， 西南太平洋岛屿，并正式证明HTLV-I是 通过奴隶贸易活动在新世界传播。 我们延长 我们对HTLV-I近亲（猿T细胞白血病）的遗传研究 在自然感染的猴子中发现的病毒。 我们仍在 探讨HTLV-I在不同来源TSP/HAM中的发病作用 角度：1）通过研究哪些病毒基因在细胞中表达， 感染的病人。 例如，在这项研究中，我们确定了新的HTLV-I， 剪接的信使核糖核酸;和2）通过开发新的蛋白质 TSP/HAM的动物模型（首先是兔子，之后可能是猴子） 使用来自患者的田间病毒分离物，而不是培养适应的 HTLV-1

The aim of this project is to study the human T lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I) origin and evolution, and its pathogenetic role in tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM). To study the origin, evolution and HTLV-I dissemination in the world, we analyzed viral sequences from ex vivo samples of infected individuals, whose origin, clinical diagnosis and general background were known. Using this approach, we were able to identify a novel HTLV-I variant in the southwestern Pacific Islands and formally prove that HTLV-I was disseminated in the New World through slave trade events. We extended our genetic studies to the close HTLV-I relatives (simian T cell leukemia virus) which are found in naturally infected monkeys. We are still investigating the pathogenetic role of HTLV-I in TSP/HAM from different angles: 1) by studying which viral genes are expressed in the cells of infected patients. For example, in this study we identify novel HTLV-I spliced messenger ribonucleic acids; and 2) novel proteins by developing an animal model (rabbits first and perhaps monkeys later) for TSP/HAM using field viral isolates from patients rather than culture adapted HTLV-I.