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Marino-Merlo F, Grelli S, Mastino A, Lai M, Ferrari P, Nicolini A, Pistello M, Macchi B. Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Oncogenesis between Active Expression and Latency: A Possible Source for the Development of Therapeutic Targets. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14807. [PMID: 37834255 PMCID: PMC10572738 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the only known human oncogenic retrovirus. HTLV-1 can cause a type of cancer called adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). The virus is transmitted through the body fluids of infected individuals, primarily breast milk, blood, and semen. At least 5-10 million people in the world are infected with HTLV-1. In addition to ATL, HTLV-1 infection can also cause HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM/TSP). ATL is characterized by a low viral expression and poor prognosis. The oncogenic mechanism triggered by HTLV-1 is extremely complex and the molecular pathways are not fully understood. However, viral regulatory proteins Tax and HTLV-1 bZIP factor (HBZ) have been shown to play key roles in the transformation of HTLV-1-infected T cells. Moreover, several studies have shown that the final fate of HTLV-1-infected transformed Tcell clones is the result of a complex interplay of HTLV-1 oncogenic protein expression with cellular transcription factors that subvert the cell cycle and disrupt regulated cell death, thereby exerting their transforming effects. This review provides updated information on the mechanisms underlying the transforming action of HTLV-1 and highlights potential therapeutic targets to combat ATL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Marino-Merlo
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy;
| | - Sandro Grelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, Italy;
| | - Antonio Mastino
- The Institute of Translational Pharmacology, CNR, 00133 Rome, Italy;
| | - Michele Lai
- Retrovirus Center and Virology Section, Department of Translational Research, University of Pisa, 56100 Pisa, Italy; (M.L.); (M.P.)
| | - Paola Ferrari
- Unit of Oncology, Department of Medical and Oncological Area, Azienda Ospedaliera—Universitaria Pisana, 56125 Pisa, Italy;
| | - Andrea Nicolini
- Department of Oncology, Transplantations and New Technologies in Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Pistello
- Retrovirus Center and Virology Section, Department of Translational Research, University of Pisa, 56100 Pisa, Italy; (M.L.); (M.P.)
| | - Beatrice Macchi
- Department of Chemical Science and Technology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, Italy;
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Moin AT, Rani NA, Ullah MA, Patil RB, Robin TB, Nawal N, Zubair T, Mahamud SI, Sakib MN, Islam NN, Khaleque MA, Absar N, Shohael AM. An immunoinformatics and extended molecular dynamics approach for designing a polyvalent vaccine against multiple strains of Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV). PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287416. [PMID: 37682972 PMCID: PMC10490984 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV), a group of retroviruses belonging to the oncovirus family, has long been associated with various inflammatory and immunosuppressive disorders. At present, there is no approved vaccine capable of effectively combating all the highly pathogenic strains of HTLV that makes this group of viruses a potential threat to human health. To combat the devastating impact of any potential future outbreak caused by this virus group, our study employed a reverse vaccinology approach to design a novel polyvalent vaccine targeting the highly virulent subtypes of HTLV. Moreover, we comprehensively analyzed the molecular interactions between the designed vaccine and corresponding Toll-like receptors (TLRs), providing valuable insights for future research on preventing and managing HTLV-related diseases and any possible outbreaks. The vaccine was designed by focusing on the envelope glycoprotein gp62, a crucial protein involved in the infectious process and immune mechanisms of HTLV inside the human body. Epitope mapping identified T cell and B cell epitopes with low binding energies, ensuring their immunogenicity and safety. Linkers and adjuvants were incorporated to enhance the vaccine's stability, antigenicity, and immunogenicity. Initially, two vaccine constructs were formulated, and among them, vaccine construct-2 exhibited superior solubility and structural stability. Molecular docking analyses also revealed strong binding affinity between the vaccine construct-2 and both targeted TLR2 and TLR4. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated enhanced stability, compactness, and consistent hydrogen bonding within TLR-vaccine complexes, suggesting a strong binding affinity. The stability of the complexes was further corroborated by contact, free energy, structure, and MM-PBSA analyses. Consequently, our research proposes a vaccine targeting multiple HTLV subtypes, offering valuable insights into the molecular interactions between the vaccine and TLRs. These findings should contribute to developing effective preventive and treatment approaches against HTLV-related diseases and preventing possible outbreaks. However, future research should focus on in-depth validation through experimental studies to confirm the interactions identified in silico and to evaluate the vaccine's efficacy in relevant animal models and, eventually, in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abu Tayab Moin
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Chittagong, Chattogram, Bangladesh
| | - Nurul Amin Rani
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Asad Ullah
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Rajesh B. Patil
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Sinhgad Technical Education Society’s, Sinhgad College of Pharmacy, Maharashtra, India
| | - Tanjin Barketullah Robin
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Nafisa Nawal
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Chittagong, Chattogram, Bangladesh
| | | | - Syed Iftakhar Mahamud
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, University of Chittagong, Chattogram, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammad Najmul Sakib
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Chittagong, Chattogram, Bangladesh
| | - Nafisa Nawal Islam
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Abdul Khaleque
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, North South University, Bashundhara, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Nurul Absar
- Faculty of Basic Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Science & Technology Chittagong, Khulshi, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - Abdullah Mohammad Shohael
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Millen S, Thoma-Kress AK. Milk Transmission of HTLV-1 and the Need for Innovative Prevention Strategies. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:867147. [PMID: 35360738 PMCID: PMC8962517 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.867147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Breastfeeding is recommended by the World Health Organization for at least 6 months up to 2 years of age, and breast milk protects against several diseases and infections. Intriguingly, few viruses are transmitted via breastfeeding including Human T-cell leukemia virus Type 1 (HTLV-1). HTLV-1 is a highly oncogenic yet neglected retrovirus, which primarily infects CD4+ T-cells in vivo and causes incurable diseases like HTLV-1-associated inflammatory conditions or Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) after lifelong viral persistence. Worldwide, at least 5–10 million people are HTLV-1-infected and most of them are unaware of their infection posing the risk of silent transmissions. HTLV-1 is transmitted via cell-containing body fluids such as blood products, semen, and breast milk, which constitutes the major route of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). Risk of transmission increases with the duration of breastfeeding, however, abstinence from breastfeeding as it is recommended in some endemic countries is not an option in resource-limited settings or underrepresented areas and populations. Despite significant progress in understanding details of HTLV-1 cell-to-cell transmission, it is still not fully understood, which cells in which organs get infected via the oral route, how these cells get infected, how breast milk affects this route of infection and how to inhibit oral transmission despite breastfeeding, which is an urgent need especially in underrepresented areas of the world. Here, we review these questions and provide an outlook how future research could help to uncover prevention strategies that might ultimately allow infants to benefit from breastfeeding while reducing the risk of HTLV-1 transmission.
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Targeting Cancer with CRISPR/Cas9-Based Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23010573. [PMID: 35008996 PMCID: PMC8745084 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a devastating condition characterised by the uncontrolled division of cells with many forms remaining resistant to current treatment. A hallmark of cancer is the gradual accumulation of somatic mutations which drive tumorigenesis in cancerous cells, creating a mutation landscape distinctive to a cancer type, an individual patient or even a single tumour lesion. Gene editing with CRISPR/Cas9-based tools now enables the precise and permanent targeting of mutations and offers an opportunity to harness this technology to target oncogenic mutations. However, the development of safe and effective gene editing therapies for cancer relies on careful design to spare normal cells and avoid introducing other mutations. This article aims to describe recent advancements in cancer-selective treatments based on the CRISPR/Cas9 system, especially focusing on strategies for targeted delivery of the CRISPR/Cas9 machinery to affected cells, controlling Cas9 expression in tissues of interest and disrupting cancer-specific genes to result in selective death of malignant cells.
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Lin E, Panfil AR, Sandel G, Jain P. Novel perspectives on antisense transcription in HIV-1, HTLV-1, and HTLV-2. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1042761. [PMID: 36620051 PMCID: PMC9822710 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1042761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The genome of retroviruses contains two promoter elements (called long terminal repeat or LTR) at the 5' and 3' end of their genome. Although the expression of retroviral genes generally depends on the promoter located in the 5' LTR, the 3' LTR also has promoter activity responsible for producing antisense transcripts. These natural antisense transcripts (NATs) are a class of RNA molecules transcribed from the opposite strand of a protein-coding gene. NATs have been identified in many prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, as well as in human retroviruses such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and HTLV-1/2 (human T-cell leukemia virus type 1/2). The antisense transcripts of HIV-1, HTLV-1, and HTLV-2 have been briefly characterized over the past several years. However, a complete appreciation of the role these transcripts play in the virus lifecycle and the cellular factors which regulate their transcription is still lacking. This review provides an overview of antisense transcription in human retroviruses with a specific focus on the MEF-2 family of transcription factors, the function(s) of the antisense protein products, and the application of antisense transcription models in therapeutics against HIV-1 and HTLV-1 in the context of co-infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Lin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Amanda R. Panfil
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Center for Retrovirus Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Grace Sandel
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Pooja Jain
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Pooja Jain,
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