Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 induced by human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 Tax protein in T-cells stimulates proliferation of human T-lymphocytes
H. Valentin et al., Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 induced by human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 Tax protein in T-cells stimulates proliferation of human T-lymphocytes, J GEN VIROL, 82, 2001, pp. 831-835
Human T-cell leukaemia/lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), aetiologically l
inked to lymphoproliferative as well as inflammatory diseases, infects and
activates CD4(+) helper T-cells and thus alters immunoregulatory pathways.
The viral regulatory Tax protein has been shown previously to induce the ex
pression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) by T-cells. To deter
mine the functional role of this adhesion molecule, Jurkat T-cells stably e
xpressing either Tax or both Tax and Rex (another viral regulatory protein)
were used in binding and coculture assays performed with either control Ju
rkat cells or primary human T-lymphocytes. Evidence was provided that VCAM-
1 acting in synergy with leucocyte function-associated antigen-3 promotes T
-cell-T-cell interactions and increases T-cell proliferation. Interestingly
, Rex was found to modulate these events. These data establish that VCAM-1
induced by Tax on T-cells thus contributes to the immunopathological proces
s triggered by HTLV-1 infection.