T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type I Possible Transactivation of the Interleukin 8 Gene by Human Production of Interleukin 8 in Adult T-Cell Leukemia Cells: Updated Version

Interleukin 8 (II.-K) inKNA was detected in peripheral leukemic cells obtained from adult T-cell leukemia patients, as well as in cultured human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I)-infected T-cell lines (HUT-102, MT-1, SALT-3, and SKT-1B). With the use of ELISA, IL-8 protein was also detected in the culture medium of these cells and in the extracellular fluids of patients. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the HTLV-I-derived transactivator protein, tax, could stimulate endogenous IL-8 gene expression in an uninfected T-cell line (Jurkat) and in a rheumatoid synovial cell line (E-ll). Induction of IL-8 by tax at protein level was also demonstrated in transfected cells. We found that the IL-8 NF-KU-binding site specifically formed a complex with NF-KB-containing nuclear extracts from HTLV-I-infected T-cell lines and freshly isolated leukemic cells from adult T-cell leukemia patients. Finally, transfection of HTLV-I tax into Jurkat cells resulted in induction of specific binding of nuclear extracts to the M -Kit sequence. These results suggest that the HTLV-I tax gene may transactivate the IL-8 gene through the KB site in HTLV-I-infected cells and that constitutive expression of the IL-8 gene may play a role in HTLV-I-associated pathogenesis.