Abstract
BackgroundHuman T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) is associated with pulmonary diseases, characterized by bronchoalveolar lymphocytosis, which correlates with HTLV-I proviral DNA in carriers. HTLV-I Tax seems to be involved in the development of such pulmonary diseases through the local production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in T cells. However, little is known about induction of these genes by HTLV-I infection in lung epithelial cells.ResultsWe tested infection of lung epithelial cells by HTLV-I by coculture studies in which A549 alveolar and NCI-H292 tracheal epithelial cell lines were cocultured with MT-2, an HTLV-I-infected T-cell line. Changes in the expression of several cellular genes were assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry. Coculture with MT-2 cells resulted in infection of lung epithelial cells as confirmed by detection of proviral DNA, HTLV-I Tax expression and HTLV-I p19 in the latter cells. Infection was associated with induction of mRNA expression of various cytokines, chemokines and cell adhesion molecule. NF-κB and AP-1 were also activated in HTLV-I-infected lung epithelial cells. In vivo studies showed Tax protein in lung epithelial cells of mice bearing Tax and patients with HTLV-I-related pulmonary diseases.ConclusionOur results suggest that HTLV-I infects lung epithelial cells, with subsequent production of cytokines, chemokines and cell adhesion molecules through induction of NF-κB and AP-1. These changes can contribute to the clinical features of HTLV-I-related pulmonary diseases.
Highlights
Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) is associated with pulmonary diseases, characterized by bronchoalveolar lymphocytosis, which correlates with HTLV-I proviral DNA in carriers
Detection of HTLV-I antigens and proviral DNA in lung epithelial cells cocultured with HTLV-I infected T cells A549 and NCI-H292 cells were cocultured with either MT2 or CCRF-CEM cells
Using RNA samples prepared from A549 cells cocultured with non-permissible HTLV-Iinfected T cell line, TL-OmI [32], RT-PCR was carried out, but Tax mRNA was not detected
Summary
Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) is associated with pulmonary diseases, characterized by bronchoalveolar lymphocytosis, which correlates with HTLV-I proviral DNA in carriers. HTLV-I Tax seems to be involved in the development of such pulmonary diseases through the local production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in T cells. Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) is a retrovirus responsible for adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) [1] and a chronic neurological disorder known as HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) [2,3]. Transgenic mice expressing Tax protein, a transactivator encoded by HTLVI, develop proliferative synovitis [5] and exocrinopathies affecting lacrimal and salivary glands, features similar to those of Sjögren's syndrome in humans [6]. In Tax-expressing transgenic mice, inflammatory cells consisting mainly of lymphocytes accumulate in peribronchiolar and perivascular areas as well as in alveolar septa [9]
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