We recently established an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive γδ T-cell line from a nasal T/natural killer (NK)-cell lymphoma (Nagata H, Konno A, Kimura N, Zhang Y, Kimura M, Demachi A, Sekine T, ...Yamamoto K, Shimizu N: Characterization of novel natural killer (NK)-cell and γδ T-cell lines established from primary lesions of nasal T/NK-cell lymphomas associated with the Epstein-Barr virus. Blood 2001, 97:708–713). Subsequently, we established two novel EBV-positive γδ T-cell lines from the peripheral blood of patients with chronic active EBV infection. Analysis of the terminal repeat of EBV showed that the three cell lines consisted of monoclonal populations, and flow cytometry showed that they had a common phenotype of γδ T cells: CD3
+ CD4
− CD8
− CD16
− CD19
− CD56
+ CD57
− HLA-DR
+ T-cell receptor (TCR) αβ
− TCR γδ
+. Analysis for the expression of TCR by flow cytometry showed that all three cell lines were Vγ9
+/Vδ2
+, but negative for VγI, Vδ1, or Vδ3 TCR. Southern blot analysis for TCR genes showed that the three cell lines had a common rearrangement of Vγ9-JγP and Jδ3 genes. Polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis of the junction between Vδ and Jδ genes revealed that the Jδ3 genes were rearranged with the Vδ2 genes. In contrast, none of the EBV-negative γδ T-cell lines, Molt-14, Peer, or Loucy, which were analyzed for controls, had Vγ9 or Vδ2 TCR, or a rearrangement of Jδ3 genes. These results indicated that Vγ9-JγP/Vδ2-Jδ3
+ γδ T cells were preferentially affected by EBV and expanded in patients with nasal γδ T-cell lymphoma and chronic active EBV infection. Jδ3
+ γδ T cells are known to be a very minor population in γδ T cells of peripheral blood, whereas Vγ9-JγP/Vδ2-Jδ1
+ cells are the major population. The close association of EBV with this particular γδ T-cell population may provide a key to the etiology of EBV-positive lymphoproliferative diseases.
Ku protein, a heterodimer of 70
kDa (Ku70) and 86
kDa (Ku86) polypeptides, is involved in non-homologous DNA end-joining (NHEJ) of DNA double-strand break repair and V(D)J recombination in ...combination with the catalytic component of DNA-dependent protein kinase (p470). Although Ku protein is known to be ubiquitously present in eukaryotic cells, it was previously reported to be absent in mature neutrophils. Using a mixture of protease inhibitors in the isolation procedure of neutrophils from human peripheral blood, we were able to detect Ku in the neutrophils by immunoblot and flow-cytometric analyses. Transcripts of
Ku70 and
Ku86 genes were also detected by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Ku protein was shown to be localized in the nucleus of neutrophils as a heterodimer. Like poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1, neither mRNA nor protein of p470 was detected in the neutrophils. These results suggest that Ku is involved independently of p470 in DNA metabolism and signal transduction.
We recently established an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive gammadelta T-cell line from a nasal T/natural killer (NK)-cell lymphoma (Nagata H, Konno A, Kimura N, Zhang Y, Kimura M, Demachi A, Sekine ...T, Yamamoto K, Shimizu N: Characterization of novel natural killer (NK)-cell and gammadelta T-cell lines established from primary lesions of nasal T/NK-cell lymphomas associated with the Epstein-Barr virus. Blood 2001, 97:708-713). Subsequently, we established two novel EBV-positive gammadelta T-cell lines from the peripheral blood of patients with chronic active EBV infection. Analysis of the terminal repeat of EBV showed that the three cell lines consisted of monoclonal populations, and flow cytometry showed that they had a common phenotype of gammadelta T cells: CD3(+) CD4(-) CD8(-) CD16(-) CD19(-) CD56(+) CD57(-) HLA-DR(+) T-cell receptor (TCR) alphabeta(-) TCR gammadelta(+). Analysis for the expression of TCR by flow cytometry showed that all three cell lines were Vgamma9(+)/Vdelta2(+), but negative for VgammaI, Vdelta1, or Vdelta3 TCR. Southern blot analysis for TCR genes showed that the three cell lines had a common rearrangement of Vgamma9-JgammaP and Jdelta3 genes. Polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis of the junction between Vdelta and Jdelta genes revealed that the Jdelta3 genes were rearranged with the Vdelta2 genes. In contrast, none of the EBV-negative gammadelta T-cell lines, Molt-14, Peer, or Loucy, which were analyzed for controls, had Vgamma9 or Vdelta2 TCR, or a rearrangement of Jdelta3 genes. These results indicated that Vgamma9-JgammaP/Vdelta2-Jdelta3(+) gammadelta T cells were preferentially affected by EBV and expanded in patients with nasal gammadelta T-cell lymphoma and chronic active EBV infection. Jdelta3(+) gammadelta T cells are known to be a very minor population in gammadelta T cells of peripheral blood, whereas Vgamma9-JgammaP/Vdelta2-Jdelta1(+) cells are the major population. The close association of EBV with this particular gammadelta T-cell population may provide a key to the etiology of EBV-positive lymphoproliferative diseases.
We have previously found that dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a known inducer of differentiation in several kinds of myeloid cells, arrests proliferation of human lymphoid cells including Raji and Akata ...Burkitt's lymphoma cells at the G1 phase. We investigated whether DMSO affects cell proliferation and differentiation of the lymphoid cell line SKW6-CL4, which is capable of differentiating terminally into IgM-producing cells. As in the case of Raji, Akata, and Molt-4, the proliferation of SKW6-CL4 was reversibly arrested at the G1 phase by treatment with 2% DMSO for 5 days even in the presence of interleukin-6 (IL-6). DMSO inhibited spontaneous IgM secretion as well as IL-6-induced IgM production in SKW6-CL4 at a concentration lower than that affecting cell proliferation. Of the cell-surface differentiation markers CD10, CD20, CD21, and CD23, the expression of CD20 was suppressed by DMSO treatment, and partial restoration of the expression was observed 24 to 48 h after release from DMSO. The level of IL-6 receptor protein was not affected by DMSO treatment. These results indicate that DMSO not only arrests the cell cycle of a human lymphoid cell line SKW6-CL4 at the G1 phase but also inhibits the differentiation into IgM-secreting cells at a concentration lower than that affecting cell proliferation and that DMSO overcomes the effect of IL-6 on terminal differentiation of SKW6-CL4. As a whole, proliferation of human lymphoblastoid cell lines was revealed to be reversibly arrested at the G1 phase by DMSO, which is known to induce differentiation in several myeloid cells, without inducing cell differentiation.
African non-human primates were surveyed seroepidemiologically for natural infection of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (ATLV/HTLV-I) or its closely related virus(es). Materials from three genera ...(Cercopithecus, Papio, and Theropithecus), four species (grivet monkey, Anubis baboon, Hamadryas baboon, and gelada), totalling 983 animals under natural conditions, were obtained in a field study in Ethiopia. Virus infection was determined by the indirect immunofluorescence test using HTLV-I specific antigens. Animals seropositive for HTLV-I were found among grivet monkeys and Anubis baboons including the hybrid offspring between Anubis and Hamadryas baboons but not pure-Hamadryas baboons and geladas. From these results, the HTLV-I family was proved to be widespread on the African continent and was regarded as a common retrovirus among catarrhines.
Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been recognized as a frequent pathogen involved in interstitial pneumonia (IP), and CMV-IP is a severe and life-threatening complication in the immunocompromised ...patients. The use of real-time PCR in molecular diagnostics has increased to the point where it is now accepted as the gold standard for detecting a wide variety of templates including viruses. Therefore, we developed a rapid quantification system of CMV using a LightCycler in order to clarify the possible role of CMV reactivation in patients with hematologic neoplasia showing pulmonary complications. Sixty-nine bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) specimens were obtained from consecutively treated patients showing interstitial shadow including 20 patients with hematologic neoplasia. First, we determined the viral burden in BAL cells from healthy volunteers, idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) and sarcoidosis. CMV copy numbers in samples obtained from healthy volunteers, IIP and sarcoidosis, were less than 10(2) copies per 1 microg of DNA, whether or not BAL cells were composed of high percentage of lymphocytes. Among 20 patients with hematologic neoplasia analyzed, two specimens obtained from leukemia patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, two from GvHD, one with CMV interstitial pneumonia and one with Hodgkin's disease had high level of CMV viral DNA. Our results suggest that measurement of CMV genomes in BAL cells using real-time PCR may be useful not only to understand the involvement of CMV in systematic respiratory tract disease but also in management of the care of respiratory complications in hematologic neoplasia.
Human herpesviruses have been recognized as a pathogen involved in interstitial pneumonia (IP), especially in immunocompromised patients. So far, little is known about involvement of human ...herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) in systemic respiratory tract disease. Currently, routine diagnostic tests for HHV-6 are inefficient for HHV-6 reactivation, therefore, we established a rapid quantification system of HHV-6 using real-time PCR in order to determine the possible role of human HHV-6 reactivation in immunocompromised patients showing IP. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) specimens were obtained from 84 consecutively treated patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILD) including various types of IP. First, we determined the viral burden in BALF and peripheral blood obtained from healthy volunteers. In healthy volunteers, the prevalence of HHV-6 in BALF was higher (4/12, 33.3%) than in peripheral blood (8/53, 15.1%), ranging from 0 to 101.65 HHV-6 genome copies per 1 microg of DNA. Among 84 patients with ILD analyzed, the prevalence of HHV-6 in BALF was 27.4% (23/84), ranging from 0 to 103.87 copies per 1 microg of DNA. Three specimens obtained from patients with collagen vascular disease, 2 from Hodgkin's disease, and 1 with sarcoidosis had high level of HHV-6 viral DNA, while none of the patients with idiopathic IP showed elevation of HHV-6 (more than 102) in BALF. Our results suggest that measurement of HHV-6 genomes in BALF using real-time PCR may be useful in management of the care of respiratory complications in immunocompromised patients.
Early events in the infection of human B lymphocytes by Epstein-Ban virus (EBV) were examined by measuring calcium ion concentration from fluorescence with fura-2. Intracellular Ca ion concentration ...(Ca2+i) of B lymphocytes increased in response to EBV application. Three types of Ca2+i-increase were observed: (1) an early transient Ca2+i-increase; (2) an early transient Ca2+i-increase followed by a slow sustained Ca2+i-increase; and (3) a slow Ca2+i-increase without the early transient Ca2+i-increase. The early transient increase was observed in the zero Ca2+ condition, but it was suppressed when cells were pretreated with ryanodine before exposure to the virus. The slow sustained Ca2+i increase was not obse1ved in Ca2+-free extracellular conditions.These results suggest that the early transient Ca2+i increase is mediated by Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca storage sites, and the slow sustained Ca2+i increase is mediated by the Ca2+ influx through the plasma membrane. Virus receptors on the surface of B lymphocytes were stained with a fluorescence marker, rhodamine, and the capping process after EBV application was observed under a confocal microscope. The capping process and the localization of virus receptors were observed after EBV application. The time course of the capping process seems similar to that of the slow, sustained Ca2+i increase.
Asian nonhuman primates were surveyed seroepidemiologically for natural infection with human T-cell leukemia virus (ATLV/HTLV) or a closely related agent. Materials from various primates (three ...genera Macaca, Presbytis, and Hylobates, 17 species, totalling 1, 079 animals) under natural conditions were obtained in the field study. Virus infection was determined by the indirect immunofluorescence test using HTLV-specific antigens. Animals seropositive for HTLV were found only among macaques originating from various localities, toque monkeys in Sri Lanka (17.5%), crab-eating macaques in Thailand (1.3%), stumptailed macaques in Thailand (1.5%), rhesus monkeys in Thailand (3.3%), and Celebes macaques in Indonesia (16.9%). Langurs and gibbons were seronegative. Thus the wide distribution of HTLV in nature among various macaques suggests that the introduction of this virus into primates occurred in ancient times.
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