REPRODUCTION OF TYPE-I HUMAN T-CELL LEUKE MIA-VIRUS IN B-CELLS AND ITS INTERACTION WITH EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS

Interaction between human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV) with B cells an d Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was studied by immunoblotting, immunofluore scence, virus isolation in permissive T-cell cultures, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). HTLV-1 in vitro infects the B-cell cultures cont aining EBV but not EBV-negative cell lines. Productive infection of EB V+ B cells was associated with syncytium formation which led to the el imination of HTLV-1 producing cells. However, the remaining B-cell pop ulation contained gag, pol, and pX - the ''silent'' provirus sequences . HTLV-1 infection of B cells altered the expression of some latent pr oteins of EBV (EBNA-1, EBNA-2, EBNA-5, and LMP). The changes were repr esented by increase of molecular weight and/or appearance of additiona l proteins and were individual for each cell line. Alteration of EBV p rotein expression may change the functional activity of these proteins , but this hypothesis is to be tested.