Sequence analysis of a viral gene found within the central nervous system of patients with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I-associated disease.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1994. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Sequence analysis of a viral gene found within the central nervous system of patients with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I-associated disease.

Diss Abstr Int [B]; 53(10):5067 1993. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICDB/94690940
Maroushek SR; Univ. of Minnesota

Abstract: Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is a type C retrovirus endemic to portions of Japan, the Caribbean, Africa, South America, and the United States. Although infection with HTLV-I causes predominantly asymptomatic infections, HTLV-I is the etiologic agent of adult I-cell leukemia (ATL) and recent studies implicate HTLV-I in the neurologic diseases HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) as well. Because of the association of the virus with both a neurologic and a leukemic disease and because of precedents in animal and human virus systems, this thesis focused on the analysis of sequence variations within the env gene of HTLV-I with the hypothesis that there would be changes that could be linked to neurologic disease. Viral env DNA from the CNS tissues of HAM, TSP, and ATL patients was amplified, cloned, and sequenced. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of mutations in the env gene of both HAM and TSP, but not ATL-associated viruses that encode for proteins that could potentially result in a nonfunctional or defective provirus. A model was proposed that could explain how the defective proviruses arise, how they spread to and within the CNS, and how the defective proviruses may cause neuropathologic damage. (Full text available from University Microfilms International, Ann Arbor, MI, as Order No. AAD93-06513)

Keywords: Central Nervous System/*METABOLISM Genes, Viral Human HTLV-I Infections/*GENETICS *Sequence Analysis THESIS

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