HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) versus adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL)

A narrative review: exploring viral-induced malignancies through the lens of dysregulated cellular metabolism and glucose transporters

INTRODUCTION

In this narrative review, we unravel the complex interplay between oncogenic viruses, cellular metabolism, and glucose transporter (GLUT) dysregulation in viral-induced malignancies.

METHODS

By explaining the diverse mechanisms through which seven major oncoviruses manipulate metabolic pathways and GLUT expression, particularly GLUT1, we provide novel insights into the critical role of metabolic reprogramming in viral replication and oncogenesis.

RESULTS

Our exploration of the molecular pathways targeted by viral oncoproteins reveals a similarity between the metabolic alterations induced by viral infections and those observed in neoplastic transformation. A key finding of our review is the overexpression of GLUTs, particularly GLUT1, as a hallmark of both viral infections and many cancers.

CONCLUSIONS

By elucidating the complex interplay between viral oncoproteins, oncogene activation, tumor suppressor gene loss, and GLUT overexpression, we highlight the potential of GLUTs as novel targets for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of viral-induced malignancies.

Analysis of the Main Checkpoints of the JNK-MAPK Pathway in HTLV-1-Associated Leukemia/Lymphoma via Boolean Network Simulation

The c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway is a signal transduction pathway that plays a critical role in cell growth and survival. Its dysregulation is related to various cancers, including adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), an aggressive peripheral T-cell malignancy caused by human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection. There is currently no vaccine or definitive treatment for ATLL. This research aimed to identify the JNK-MAPK pathway checkpoints to identify possible therapeutic targets using Boolean network analysis. First, the genes involved in the JNK pathway and their interactions were identified and mapped. Next, a Boolean network analysis was performed using the R programming language, which suggested protein kinase B (AKT) and MAP kinase phosphatase (MKP) for further evaluation. Finally, to confirm the effect of these two genes, a clinical study was conducted among ATLL patients and healthy individuals. The quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‒PCR) results revealed a statistically significant decrease in the expression of AKT and MKP in ATLL patients compared to normal controls. This highlights the potential role of these two genes as potential therapeutic targets in ATLL.

The mirror like expression of genes involved in the FOXO signaling pathway could be effective in the pathogenesis of human lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) through disruption of the downstream pathways

OBJECTIVES

Human lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the cause of two major diseases, ATLL and HAM/TSP in a percentage of carriers. Despite progress in understanding the pathogenesis of these two diseases, the exact pathogenesis mechanism is still not well understood. High-throughput technologies have revolutionized medical research. This study aims to investigate the mechanism of pathogenesis of these two diseases using the results of high-throughput analysis of microarray datasets.

RESULTS

A total of 100 differentially expressed genes were found between ATLL and HAM/TSP. After constructing protein-protein network and further analyzing, proteins including ATM, CD8, CXCR4, PIK3R1 and CD2 were found as the hub ones between ATLL and HAM/TSP. Finding the modules of the subnetwork revealed the enrichment of two common pathways including FOXO signaling pathway and Cell cycle with two common genes including ATM and CDKN2D. Unlike ATLL, ATM gene had higher expressions in HAM/TSP patients. The expression of CDKN2D was increased in ATLL patients. The results of this study could be helpful for understanding the pathogenic mechanism of these two diseases in the same signaling pathways.

Deep learning for detecting and elucidating human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 integration in the human genome

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), a retrovirus, is the causative agent for adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma and many other human diseases. Accurate and high throughput detection of HTLV-1 virus integration sites (VISs) across the host genomes plays a crucial role in the prevention and treatment of HTLV-1-associated diseases. Here, we developed DeepHTLV, the first deep learning framework for VIS prediction de novo from genome sequence, motif discovery, and cis-regulatory factor identification. We demonstrated the high accuracy of DeepHTLV with more efficient and interpretive feature representations. Decoding the informative features captured by DeepHTLV resulted in eight representative clusters with consensus motifs for potential HTLV-1 integration. Furthermore, DeepHTLV revealed interesting cis-regulatory elements in regulation of VISs that have significant association with the detected motifs. Literature evidence demonstrated nearly half (34) of the predicted transcription factors enriched with VISs were involved in HTLV-1-associated diseases. DeepHTLV is freely available at https://github.com/bsml320/DeepHTLV.

Mannose Binding Lectin-Associated Serine Protease 2 (MASP2) Gene Polymorphism and susceptibility to Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) Infection in Blood Donors of Mashhad, Iran

Mannose binding lectin-associated serine protease 2 (MASP2) is the effector part of mannose binding lectin (MBL) that activates the complement system in an antibody-independent manner. We aimed to investigate the role of genetic polymorphisms in the MASP2 gene and susceptibility to HTLV-1 infection. A total of 172 HTLV-1 infected individuals and 170 healthy blood donors were analyzed in this case-control study. Nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) encompassing different regions of the MASP2 gene were genotyped with a PCR-SSP assay. The relation between SNPs genotype and susceptibility to HTLV-1 infection was investigated with a chi-squared test considering p<0.05 as statistically significant. Two out of nine tested SNPs were associated with the risk of HTLV-1 infection. The genotype TT at rs17409276 decreased the risk of HTLV-1 (p=0.005, OR=0.301, 95% CI=0.124-0.728). The genotypes CC and CT at rs2273346 were also associated with a higher risk of HTLV-1 acquisition (p=0.004, OR=2.225, 95% CI=1.277-3.877). These findings highlight the importance of MASP2 genetic polymorphisms in the lectin pathway of complement activation and susceptibility to HTLV-1 infection. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Molecular characterization of hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase mutant T cells in human blood: The concept of surrogate selection for immunologically relevant cells

Somatic cell gene mutations arise in vivo due to replication errors during DNA synthesis occurring spontaneously during normal DNA synthesis or as a result of replication on a DNA template damaged by endogenous or exogenous mutagens. In principle, changes in the frequencies of mutant cells in vivo in humans reflect changes in exposures to exogenous or endogenous DNA damaging insults, other factors being equal. It is becoming increasingly evident however, that somatic mutations in humans have a far greater range of interpretations. For example, mutations in lymphocytes provide invaluable probes for in vivo cellular and molecular processes, providing identification of clonal amplifications of these cells in autoimmune and infectious diseases, transplantation recipients, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), and cancer. The assay for mutations of the X-chromosomal hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene has gained popular acceptance for this purpose since viable mutant cells can be recovered for molecular and other analyses. Although the major application of the HPRT T cell assay remains human population monitoring, the enrichment of activated T cells in the mutant fraction in individuals with ongoing immunological processes has demonstrated the utility of surrogate selection, a method that uses somatic mutation as a surrogate marker for the in vivo T cell proliferation that underlies immunological processes to investigate clinical disorders with immunological features. Studies encompassing a wide range of clinical conditions are reviewed. Despite the historical importance of the HPRT mutation system in validating surrogate selection, there are now additional mutational and other methods for identifying immunologically active T cells. These methods are reviewed and provide insights for strategies to extend surrogate selection in future studies.