Expression of sequences homologous to htlv‐i tax gene in the labial salivary glands of japanese patients with sjögren's syndrome

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Abstract
Objective. To address the question of whether the human T cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV‐I) gene is associated with the etiology of Sjögren's syndrome (SS).Methods. RNA expression of HTLV‐I gag, pol, env, and tax genes in labial salivary glands (LSGs) from SS patients who were seronegative for antibodies to HTLV‐I was examined using reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction techniques.Results. The HTLV‐I tax gene, but not the HTLV‐I gag, pol, or env genes, was detected in LSG samples from 4 of 14 patients (29%). The nucleotide sequences of the HTLV‐I pXIV region in these 4 patients' LSGs showed 100% homology to the HTLV‐I pXIV gene from the MT‐2 cell line.Conclusion. These findings suggest that products encoding sequences homologous to the HTLV‐I pXIV gene in SS patients' LSGs might be candidates for self‐antigen and/or lead to activation of autoreactive T lymphocytes through trans‐acting transcriptional activation.