Molecular and cellular events at the onset of the lymphoproliferative process induced by HTLV-I (human T-cell leukemia virus, type I).

The human retrovirology opened its first chapter, 10 years ago, with the isolation and characterization of HTLV-I (Human T-cell leukemia virus, type I), a type C retrovirus, which was found to be etiologically linked first to adult T-cell leukemia and second to neurological disorders. Epidemiological data have indeed shown that patients who developed these diseases represent a small percentage of HTLV-I infected individuals living in restricted geographical areas. Experiments performed at molecular and cellular levels have revealed that HTLV-I plays an essential role in the initiation of the lymphoproliferative process. Indeed, viral particles deliver a mitogenic signal to human resting T lymphocytes. After proviral integration, two regulatory proteins--Tax and Rex--are controlling the replicative cycle of HTLV-I. The Tax protein trans-activates the proviral transcription and the Rex protein is essential in the synthesis of viral structural proteins. Furthermore, the Tax protein induces the transcription of several cellular genes involved in T-cell activation and proliferation. Studies are now aimed at identifying HTLV-I target cells among precursors of the T cell lineage and at unravelling the role of HTLV-I in the secondary events leading to leukemogenesis.