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The promoter of human T-cell leukemia virus type-I is repressed by the immediate-early gene region of human cytomegalovirus in primary blood lymphocytes.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Gartenhaus, RB; Wong-Staal, F; Klotman, ME
Published in: Blood
December 1, 1991

Infection with human T-cell leukemia virus type-I (HTLV-1) is associated with a low incidence of morbidity in the form of adult T-cell leukemia as well as neurologic disease, including tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-I-associated myelopathy, suggesting that there are other important factors which determine outcome of infection. HTLV-I and the human herpesvirus, cytomegalovirus (HCMV), have both been shown to infect OKT4+ T lymphocytes in vitro as well as in vivo. We investigated the effects of expression of HCMV IE-2 protein(s) on the HTLV-I long terminal repeat (LTR) containing the promoter elements in T-cell lines and primary lymphocytes. A consistent repressive effect was observed on HTLV-I LTR-driven chloramphenicol acetyl transferase activity after cotransfection with the HCMV IE-2 gene region, both in HTLV-I-producing cell lines as well as in uninfected primary peripheral blood lymphocytes and cloned lymphocyte lines. This repressive effect on the HTLV-I LTR by the HCMV IE-2 gene product(s) represent a unique interaction between two viruses capable of infecting the same target cell in vivo. Such an interaction may have important implications for disease expression associated with HTLV-I infection.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Blood

ISSN

0006-4971

Publication Date

December 1, 1991

Volume

78

Issue

11

Start / End Page

2956 / 2961

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Viral Proteins
  • Viral Envelope Proteins
  • Trans-Activators
  • Repressor Proteins
  • RNA, Viral
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Membrane Glycoproteins
  • Immunology
 

Published In

Blood

ISSN

0006-4971

Publication Date

December 1, 1991

Volume

78

Issue

11

Start / End Page

2956 / 2961

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Viral Proteins
  • Viral Envelope Proteins
  • Trans-Activators
  • Repressor Proteins
  • RNA, Viral
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Membrane Glycoproteins
  • Immunology