Taken together, these results indicate that Tax-induced downregulation of Bim in HTLV-1-infected T cells promotes their IL-2-independent growth, thereby supporting the persistence of HTLV-1 infection in vivo.
On the basis of these studies, we propose a model in which HTLV-1 infection of T cells results in the production of both IL-2 and IL-15 cytokines, growth factors that support the proliferation of T cells.
Adult T cell leukemia (ATL) is an aggressive malignancy that is associated with HTLV-I infection and characterized by constitutive expression of the high-affinity interleukin-2 receptor.
T cell lines (Coculture-14, Coculture-5) derived from human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I)-seronegative persons acquired interleukin-2 (IL-2)-dependent continuous growth capacity (immortalized) following in vitro HTLV-I infection.
By contrast, expression of calpain II, a high Ca(2+)-requiring form, in human T-cells was closely correlated with human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) infection, which is known to result in the expression of adult T-cell leukemia-associated antigens, interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor alpha, and Ca(2+)-dependent cell proliferation.
Human T cell leukemia/lymphoma (T-lymphotropic) virus type I (HTLV-I) infection has been considered to be closely associated with the leukemogenesis of adult T cell leukemia (ATL), in which interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptors are abnormally expressed.
In HTLV-I-infected cells, the 42-Kd long open reading frame (tat) protein encoded in part by the tat region of HTLV-I may act as a transacting activator that induces transcription of the IL-2 receptor gene, thus providing an explanation for the constant association of HTLV-I infection of lymphoid cells and IL-2 receptor expression.