The bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is the causative agent of enzootic bovine leucosis. This study investigated the presence of the BLV in leukemia (179 acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 292 acute myeloid leukemia and 46 chronic myelogenous leukemia cases) and 162 lung cancer patients (139 adenocarcinoma, 23 squamous cell carcinoma) to determine if the BLV is a causative organism of leukemia and lung cancer in Koreans. A BLV infection was confirmed in human cells by PCR using a BLV-8 primer combination. All 517 cases of human leukemia and 162 lung cancer were negative for a PCR of the BLV proviral DNA. In conclusion, although meat has been imported from BLV endemic areas, the BLV infection does not appear to be the cause of human leukemia or lung cancer in Koreans. These results can be used as a control for further studies on the BLV in Koreans.
Acute Disease ; Adenocarcinoma/virology ; Cell Line ; DNA, Viral/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Humans ; Korea ; Leukemia/*virology ; Leukemia Virus, Bovine/*genetics ; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Acute/virology ; Leukemia, Myeloid/virology ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic/virology ; Lung Neoplasms/*virology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods ; Proviruses/*genetics

A 1.6-year-old male domestic short hair cat was brought to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Kasetsart University, with signs of severe anemia, depression, and general lymph node enlargement. Complete blood count revealed leukocytosis and massive undifferentiated blasts. Testing for antibodies specific to feline leukemia virus (FeLV) was positive, and FeLV nucleic acid was confirmed by nested polymerase chain reaction. Base on cytochemistry and ultrastructure, the cat was diagnosed with acute monoblastic leukemia.
Animals ; Cat Diseases/*diagnosis/*virology ; Cats ; Leukemia Virus, Feline/*isolation & purification ; Leukemia, Monocytic, Acute/diagnosis/*veterinary/virology ; Male ; Osteoblasts/ultrastructure

OBJECTIVETo search for the optimal approach for hepatocyte-directed differentiation of hepatic progenitor cells and investigate the molecular mechanism of the hepatic differentiation.

METHODSHepatic progenitor cells were infected with recombinant adenovirus which containing human LIF, BMP2 or BMP9 gene. The maturation and differentiation of progenitor cells were examined by PAS staining and ICG uptake methods at 4, 7 and 10 days post infection. The production of Albumin (Alb) was measured by luciferase activity at day 4, 7, 10 and 14.

RESULTSPAS staining assay revealed that BMP2 and BMP9 enhanced glycogen storage in hepatic progenitor cells most obviously at day 7. The percentages of positive cells were 30% and 45% respectively at 7 days post-infection. Meanwhile, 40% and 30% cells were positive by ICG uptake assay after BMP2 and BMP9 induction. Luciferase activity indicated that BMP9 induced ALB-Luc activity most significantly at day 7. However, less inductive activity was found in LIF-treated group.

CONCLUSIONThese results indicated tuat hepatic progenitor cells were differentiated into hepatocyte-like cells by BMPs and LIF induction.

Adenoviridae ; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins ; pharmacology ; Cell Differentiation ; Cells, Cultured ; Hepatocytes ; cytology ; metabolism ; virology ; Humans ; Leukemia Inhibitory Factor ; pharmacology ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; virology

We experienced a case of adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) in a 48-year-old Korean female, who has never been abroad since birth and no history of blood transfusion. The patient had hypercalcemia and multiple lymphadenopathy. Histopathologic study of left cervical lymph node (LN) and bone marrow (BM) revealed that infiltrates of malignant lymphoid cells were composed of small, medium and large cells with pleomorphic nuclei. Smears of peripheral blood (PB) showed lymphopenia (16%) with the appearance of a few atypical lymphoid cells (less than 2%), but not the typical clover leaf cells seen in ATLL. Immunophenotypic study of LN and BM revealed T cell phenotype. PB showed increased CD4+ T cell (T(H), CD3/CD4+, 57%) and decreased CD8+ T cell counts (T(S), CD3/CD8+, 6.7%). The sera of the patient and her family were reactive for HTLV-I antibody. The specific sequences of pol, env, and tax of HTLV-I DNA were detected in the lymphoma cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) using polymerase chain reaction. Ultrastructural examination of PBMC confirmed numerous type c virus particles in extracellular space. This case was an acute type of ATLL without overt leukemic features in PB. Despite chemotherapy and intensive conservative treatment, she died 3 months after admission.
Biopsy ; Bone Marrow/pathology ; Case Report ; DNA, Viral/analysis ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Gene Products, env/genetics ; Gene Products, pol/genetics ; Gene Products, tax/genetics ; HTLV-BLV Infections/pathology ; HTLV-I ; Human ; Hypercalcemia/virology ; Hypercalcemia/pathology ; Immunophenotyping ; Korea ; Leukemia, T-Cell/virology ; Leukemia, T-Cell/pathology* ; Leukemia, T-Cell/immunology ; Lymph Nodes/pathology ; Lymphopenia/virology ; Lymphopenia/pathology* ; Lymphopenia/immunology ; Microscopy, Electron ; Middle Age ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; T-Lymphocytes/virology ; T-Lymphocytes/ultrastructure ; T-Lymphocytes/pathology

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a common human pathogen causing cold sores and even more serious diseases. It can establish a latent stage in sensory ganglia after primary epithelial infections, and reactivate in response to stress or sunlight. Previous studies have demonstrated that viral immediate-early protein ICP0 plays a key role in regulating the balance between lytic and latent infection. Recently, It has been determined that promyelocytic leukemia (PML) nuclear bodies (NBs), small nuclear sub-structures, contribute to the repression of HSV-1 infection in the absence of functional ICP0. In this review, we discuss the fundamentals of the interaction between ICP0 and PML NBs, suggesting a potential link between PML NBs and ICP0 in regulating lytic and latent infection of HSV-1.
Herpes Simplex ; virology ; Herpesvirus 1, Human ; genetics ; physiology ; Humans ; Immediate-Early Proteins ; metabolism ; Intranuclear Inclusion Bodies ; metabolism ; virology ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute ; metabolism ; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases ; metabolism ; Virus Latency ; physiology

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus demonstrated to be associated with human disease. Infection by the HTLV-1 can cause T-cell leukemia (ATL) in adults. HTLV-1 bZIP factor (HBZ) is a viral protein encoded by the minus strand of the HTLV-1 provirus. Among the regulatory and accessory genes of HTLV-1, HBZ is the only gene that remains intact and which is expressed consistently in all patients with ATL. Moreover, HBZ has a critical role in the leukemogenesis of ATL. Here, we review the function of HBZ in the oncogenesis of HTLV-1 and its molecular mechanism of action.
Animals ; Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Carcinogenesis ; HTLV-I Infections ; pathology ; virology ; Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Leukemia, T-Cell ; pathology ; virology ; Retroviridae Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

Biomarkers ; metabolism ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; metabolism ; Cytomegalovirus Retinitis ; immunology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; immunology ; metabolism ; virology

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in the treatment of leukemia patients can improve overall survival and disease-free survival, and reduce relapse. Although the allo-HSCT is more widely used in the treatment of leukemia, but the graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections are the common complications, and are the major cause of mortality for patients following allo-HSCT. Previous studies showed that there might be a mutual promotive relationship between GVHD and CMV infection, but the clear relationship remained to be elucidated. The relationship of GVHD and CMV has been the focus of clinical research. Recently, a great progress has been made on researches of the relationship and its mechanism between GVHD and CMV infection. In this article, the relationship and its mechanism between GVHD and CMV infection after allo-HSCT are reviewed.
Cytomegalovirus Infections ; complications ; Disease-Free Survival ; Graft vs Host Disease ; complications ; virology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Leukemia ; therapy ; Recurrence

OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlation between MHC class I-related chain A (MICA) gene *008 allele and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection.

METHODSMICA*008 allele was detected in 86 patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia and 81 unrelated normal individuals by way of sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP). Anti-HCMV IgM was also detected in the sera of these subjects with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSMICA*008 allele frequency was lower in patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia than in the control group (22.2% vs 34.3%, Chi(2)=4.98, P<0.05). The infection rate of HCMV was significantly higher in those individuals with genotype of MICA*008 (-) than in those with MICA*008 (+), and moderate correlation was suggested between MICA*008 and HCMV infection (C=0.5829, 0.6142).

CONCLUSIONIndividuals with MICA*008 positivity is not liable to HCMV infection, but those with MICA*008 (-) can be vulnerable to HCMV infection, suggesting an inverse correlation between MICA*008 allele with HCMV.

Alleles ; Cytomegalovirus Infections ; genetics ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I ; genetics ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; genetics ; virology

Human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), an etiological factor that causes adult T cell leukemia and lymphoma (ATL), infects over 20 million people worldwide. About 1 million of HTLV-1-infected patients develop ATL, a highly aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma without an effective therapy. The pX region of the HTLV-1 viral genome encodes an oncogenic protein, Tax, which plays a central role in transforming CD4+ T lymphocytes by deregulating oncogenic signaling pathways and promoting cell cycle progression. Expression of Tax following viral entry is critical for promoting survival and proliferation of human T cells and is required for initiation of oncogenesis. Tax exhibits diverse functions in host cells, and this oncoprotein primarily targets IκB kinase complex in the cytoplasm, resulting in persistent activation of NF-κB and upregulation of its responsive gene expressions that are crucial for T cell survival and cell cycle progression. We here review recent advances for the pathological roles of Tax in modulating IκB kinase activity. We also discuss our recent observation that Tax connects the IκB kinase complex to autophagy pathways. Understanding Tax-mediated pathogenesis will provide insights into development of new therapeutics in controlling HTLV-1-associated diseases.
Autophagy ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; virology ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Gene Products, tax ; genetics ; metabolism ; Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 ; physiology ; Humans ; I-kappa B Kinase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; virology ; Membrane Microdomains ; metabolism ; virology ; NF-kappa B ; genetics ; metabolism ; Protein Binding ; Signal Transduction ; genetics