1993 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Molecular epidemiology of HTLV-I seroindeterminate myelopathy
| Project/Area Number |
04807059
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Neurology
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| Research Institution | KYOTO UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
KAWANISHI Taketo Kyoto University Department of Neurology Instructor, 医学部, 助手 (40240824)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
AKIGUCHI Ichiro Kyoto University Department of Neurology Associate Professor, 医学部, 助教授 (30115779)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1992 – 1993
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| Keywords | HTLV-I / Western blot / Polymerase chain reaction / HAM / Cytotoxic T lymphocyte / Indeterminate |
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| Research Abstract |
We selected human T lymphotropic virus type I(HTLV-I)seroindeterminate patients with neurological disorders by the Western blot assay. HTLV-I-related sequences were detected in DNA from fresh and cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a serologically indeterminate patient by polymerase chain reaction. This patient had chronic progressive myelopathy (CPM) with urinary disturbance. The DNA sequences analyzed were identical to those of HTLV-I itself. But we could not detect HTLV-I-related sequences in the majority of seroindeterminate patients. Another patient had a seroindeterminate healthy individual in his family.
We then examined the activity of HTLV-I specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in fresh peripheral blood of HTLV-I seroindeterminate subjects and HTLV-I associated myelopathy (HAM) patients. Autologous EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines(LCL) were established and used as targets after HTLV-I recombinant vaccinia virus infection. Peripheral blood lymphocytes(PBL) were sorted into CD8+ pupulations by the magnet beads method and used as effectors. HTLV-I specific cytotoxicity were found in HAM patients, but not in seroindeterminate subjects.
Our findings suggest the possibility that serologically indeterminate CPM is associated with HYLV-I or its variant. Further analysis will be necessary to clarify the pathogenesis of HTLV-I seroindeterminate myelopathy, but the prevalence of HTLV-I infection may be higher than is currently recognized.
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