Human T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma virus type 1 syncytium formation is regulated in a cell-specific manner by ICAM-1, ICAM-3 and VCAM-1 and can be inhibited by antibodies to integrin beta2 or beta7.

Human T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a pathogenic retrovirus responsible for a number of inflammatory pathologies and adult T-cell leukaemia. Although T-cell tropic in vivo, HTLV-1 can infect a wide variety of cell types in vitro. Cell-to-cell spread of HTLV-1 may require specific binding of envelope to its cellular receptor, with other cell-surface molecules facilitating fusion. Here it is shown that intercellular adhesion molecule-1 or -3 (ICAM-1, ICAM-3) or vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) are required for syncytium formation of K562 with HTLV-1-infected MT2 cells but not C91-PL cells. The effect of ICAMs and VCAM-1 on MT2-induced fusion can be blocked by antibodies that bind beta-integrins. These fusion co-factor molecules are effective only when present in combination with HTLV-1 receptor-bearing cells and are not sufficient to mediate syncytium formation alone. The results suggest that engagement of HTLV-1-infected cells with susceptible target cells requires the simultaneous binding of viral envelope glycoprotein to the cellular receptor and co-factor molecules to beta-integrins. The tissue-specific expression of adhesion molecules might therefore influence HTLV-1 virus tropism and pathogenic changes associated with syncytium formation.