Transformation to continuous growth of primary human T lymphocytes by human T-cell leukemia virus type I X-region genes transduced by a herpesvirus saimiri vector

Journal Article · Mon May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.86.9.3351· OSTI ID:5442773

Grassmann, R; Dengler, C; Mueller-Fleckenstein, I; Fleckenstein, B; McGuire, K; Dokhelar, M C; Sodroski, J G; Haseltine, W A ^[1]

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1. Universitat Erlangen-Nuernberg (West Germany)

The role of the X region of the genome of the human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) in the immortalization of lymphocytes has been difficult to distinguish from its role in viral replication as this region encodes at least two genes, tax and rex, required for replication and the expression of viral proteins. To determine whether the X region does encode immortalizing functions, a fragment of the HTLV-I provirus capable of expressing known X-region proteins was inserted into the genome of a transformation-defective, replication-competent Herpesvirus saimiri. Infection of fresh mitogen-activated human cord blood and thymocytes yielded immortal T-cell lines that had the same phenotype (CD4{sup +}, Cd5{sup +}, HLA class II{sup +}, interleukin 2 receptor {alpha}-chain +) as lymphocytes transformed by cocultivation with HTLV-I. These experiments demonstrate that the X region encodes the functions of HTLV-I that immortalize a distinct subpopulation of human T cells. The experiments also demonstrate the utility of the H. saimiri vector for the transduction of heterologous genes into human T cells.

• OSTI ID: 5442773
• Journal Information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA), Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA) Vol. 86:9; ISSN 0027-8424; ISSN PNASA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550401* -- Genetics-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY FLUIDS
CELL TRANSFORMATIONS
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISEASES
DNA
FLUORESCENCE
HERPES SIMPLEX
IMMUNE SYSTEM DISEASES
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
ISOTOPES
LEUKEMIA VIRUSES
LEUKOCYTES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LUMINESCENCE
LYMPHOCYTES
LYMPHOMAS
MAMMALS
MAN
MATERIALS
MICROORGANISMS
NEOPLASMS
NUCLEI
NUCLEIC ACIDS
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ONCOGENIC TRANSFORMATIONS
ONCOGENIC VIRUSES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PARASITES
PHOSPHORUS 32
PHOSPHORUS ISOTOPES
PRIMATES
RADIOISOTOPES
SKIN DISEASES
SOMATIC CELLS
TRANSCRIPTION
VERTEBRATES
VIRAL DISEASES
VIRUSES