Correlation of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) mRNA with proviral DNA load, virus-specific CD8(+) T cells, and disease severity in HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM/TSP)

Blood. 2002 Jan 1;99(1):88-94. doi: 10.1182/blood.v99.1.88.

Abstract

To investigate the role of viral expression in individuals infected with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), a real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of HTLV-1 tax messenger RNA (mRNA) using ABI Prism 7700 Sequence Detection System was developed. Using this system, the HTLV-1 tax mRNA load was compared with HTLV-1 proviral DNA load, HTLV-1 Tax protein expression, HTLV-1 Tax-specific CD8(+) T-cell frequency, and disease severity of HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). This approach was a sensitive and specific technique for the precise quantification of HTLV-1 tax mRNA. The total amount of HTLV-1 tax mRNA and mRNA expression level in HTLV-1-infected cells (mRNA/DNA ratio) were higher in HAM/TSP patients than in asymptomatic HTLV-1 carriers. The HTLV-1 tax mRNA load correlated with the HTLV-1 proviral DNA load ex vivo, the Tax protein expression in vitro, and the Tax-specific CD8(+) T-cell frequency ex vivo. The HTLV-1 tax mRNA load also correlated with disease severity in HAM/TSP patients. These data suggest that increased HTLV-1 expression plays an important role in the pathogenesis of HAM/TSP, and the HTLV-1 tax mRNA level could be a useful predictor of disease progression in patients with HAM/TSP.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / pathology*
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / virology
  • DNA, Viral / blood*
  • Female
  • Gene Expression
  • Gene Products, tax / genetics
  • Gene Products, tax / immunology
  • Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / virology
  • Lymphocyte Count
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / immunology
  • Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / virology*
  • Proviruses / genetics*
  • RNA, Messenger / blood
  • RNA, Viral / blood*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Viral Load

Substances

  • DNA, Viral
  • Gene Products, tax
  • RNA, Messenger
  • RNA, Viral