M Papiez 1
1. Zakład Wirusologii Instytutu Mikrobiologii Collegium Medicum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiegow Krakowie.
Published:
GICID: 01.3001.0000.3054
Available language versions: en pl
Issue: Postepy Hig Med Dosw 1995; 49 (5)
Abstract
HTLV-I virus is as etiological agent of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). The virus encodes Tax regulatory protein, which induces malignant transformation of the T lymphocytes. Tax increases the expression of cell protooncogenes as well as lymphokines, among others IL-2 and its receptor. This protein induces autocrine proliferation of T lymphocytes, which is probably the main cause of their transformation. Tax represses the human beta-polymerase gene enzyme involved in host cell DNA repair, and then irreversible damage is effected in the T lymphocyte genome. Moreover, this regulatory protein cooperates with Rex phosphoprotein, stabilizing cell mRNA, which originate as the result of Tax protein activity. The regulatory proteins of HTLV-I virus influence the transcription of some cell genes and their products and in this way induce malignant transformation.