The HTLV-1 Virological Synapse

Human T-lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1) spreads efficiently between T-cells via a tight and highly organized cell-cell contact known as the virological synapse. It is now thought that many retroviruses and other viruses spread via a virological synapse, which may be defined as a virus-induced, specialized area of cell-to-cell contact that promotes the directed transmission of the virus between cells. We summarize here the mechanisms leading to the formation of the HTLV-1 virological synapse and the role played by HTLV-1 Tax protein. We propose a model of HTLV-1 transmission between T-cells based on the three-dimensional ultrastructure of the virological synapse. Finally, in the light of recent advances, we discuss the possible routes of HTLV-1 spread across the virological synapse

Functional conservation of HTLV-1 Rex balances the immune pressure for sequence variation in the Rex gene

Naturally occurring mutations in Human T-cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1) Tax protein lead to loss of recognition by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. Most of these mutations also abolish or severely impair the transactivation function of Tax. Ninety percent of the Rex gene, which encodes the viral regulator of mRNA splicing (Rex), overlaps with theTax gene. In this paper, we report that four previously described point mutations in Tax that abolished CTL recognition and activity did not alter either the dimerisation function or the ability to export viral mRNA of the corresponding Rex proteins. Rex proteins containing two other amino acid changes were likewise functional. However, five Rex deletion mutants, predominantly but not exclusively found in HAM/TSP patients, had all lost these functions. We conclude that, although the Tax protein is subject to strong CTL-mediated selection, there are stronger functional constraints on amino acid variation in Rex. This may limit the variation in the Tax/Rex nucleotide sequence which results in immune evasion

Raw data for RBC, Hb and haematocrit from article: Free serum haemoglobin is associated with brain atrophy in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

Erythrocyte count, total blood haemoglobin and haematocrit levels at the first and fifth clinical visit

Nano LC MS-MS peptide matches from article: Free serum haemoglobin is associated with brain atrophy in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

Protein peaks associated with brain atrophy: identification by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry Relative molecular mass, protein score and identity of the genes with sequence matches to peptide fragments from the protein peaks that were significantly correlated with the rate of brain atrophy. The common contaminant keratin and partial matches to contaminating bacterial sequences were excluded

Raw data for SELDI-TOF low range from article: Free serum haemoglobin is associated with brain atrophy in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

Raw normalised data from SELDI-TOF at low range following Expression Difference Mapping (ProteinChip Data Manager. Bio-Rad). Columns contain sample name, sample group (corresponds to longitudinal measurements for each patients at 1,3,4 and 5), peak number (all peaks detected at low range at each time point), peak intensity and mass/charge ratio

Raw data for SELDI-TOF high range from article: Free serum haemoglobin is associated with brain atrophy in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

Raw normalised data from SELDI-TOF at high range following Expression Difference Mapping (ProteinChip Data Manager. Bio-Rad). Columns contain sample name, sample group (corresponds to longitudinal measurements for each patients at 1,3,4 and 5), peak number (all peaks detected at high range at each time point), peak intensity and mass/charge ratio