Abstract
Adult T cell Leukemia (ATL) is an aggressive lymphoproliferative malignancy secondary to infection by the human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) and is associated with a dismal prognosis. ATL leukemogenesis remains enigmatic. In the era of precision medicine in oncology, mouse models offer one of the most efficient in vivo tools for the understanding of the disease biology and developing novel targeted therapies. This review provides an up-to-date and comprehensive account of mouse models developed in the context of ATL and HTLV-I infection. Murine ATL models include transgenic animals for the viral proteins Tax and HBZ, knock-outs for key cellular regulators, xenografts and humanized immune-deficient mice. The first two groups provide a key understanding of the role of viral and host genes in the development of ATL, as well as their relationship with the immunopathogenic processes. The third group represents a valuable platform to test new targeted therapies against ATL.
Highlights
Human T Cell Leukemia VirusHuman T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) retrovirus belongs to the deltaretroviridae family of viruses
Unlike Tax that is often undetected in Adult T cell Leukemia (ATL) cells, Hbz gene undergoes no abortive mutations and the protein is expressed in all ATL patients and human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) infected carriers (Fan et al, 2010; Kataoka et al, 2015; reviewed in Satou et al, 2006; Matsuoka and Jeang, 2011)
In contrast to what was seen in NOD/SCID mice, treatment of NSG mice did not affect leukemia growth nor improved mice survival highlighting that the immune system difference, polymorphonuclear cells, plays a crucial role in leukemia elimination by anti-interleukin 2 receptor (IL-2R) antibodies (Zhang et al, 2004)
Summary
Adult T cell Leukemia (ATL) is an aggressive lymphoproliferative malignancy secondary to infection by the human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) and is associated with a dismal prognosis. In the era of precision medicine in oncology, mouse models offer one of the most efficient in vivo tools for the understanding of the disease biology and developing novel targeted therapies. This review provides an up-to-date and comprehensive account of mouse models developed in the context of ATL and HTLV-I infection. Murine ATL models include transgenic animals for the viral proteins Tax and HBZ, knock-outs for key cellular regulators, xenografts and humanized immune-deficient mice. The first two groups provide a key understanding of the role of viral and host genes in the development of ATL, as well as their relationship with the immunopathogenic processes. The third group represents a valuable platform to test new targeted therapies against ATL
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