Host cell range of adult t-cell leukemia virus I. Viral infectivity and binding to various cells as detected by flow cytometry

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Abstract
Adult T‐cell leukemia virus is the member of a human type‐C retrovirus family (HTLV) found to be associated with adult T‐cell leukemia (ATL) in Japan. In our study, HTLV was isolated from the MT‐2 cell line, purified on sucrose gradient and labelled with fluorescein‐isothiocyanate (FITC‐HTLV). The protein pattern of the virus was determined by SDS‐gel electrophoresis and assured by Western blotting using ATL patient serum. Fresh human lymphocytes, separated Band T cells, mouse and rabbit lymphocytes, mouse fibroblasts, and 13 different tumor cell lines were tested in parallel for binding of FITC‐HTLV and infectability by the virus. Virus binding to cell receptors was assayed by flow cytometry. Successful infection was monitored by following the expression of HTLV determined antigen (HTLA). Most of the cells bound FITC‐HTLV at levels ranging from 5% to 130% of the MT‐2 cell binding. Only fresh human T, mouse and rabbit lymphocytes were infectable by cell‐free virus preparations. The results demonstrate that HTLV receptors are present on different types of cells of both human and animal origin, and that infection by the virus is restricted to fewer host cells but not limited to a specific class of human lymphocytes.

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