Assessment of Bcl-xL , TAX , and HBZ Gene Expression in Adult T cell Leukemia/Lymphoma Patients

• Published in: AIDS research and human retroviruses Vol. 40; no. 3; p. 141
• Main Authors: Fajami, Zahra, Akbarin, Mohammad Mehdi, Rafatpanah, Houshang, Ramezani, Samaneh, Rahimi, Hossein, Rezaee, Seyed Abdolrahim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.03.2024
• Subjects: Adult; Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors - genetics; Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors - metabolism; Gene Expression; Gene Products, tax - genetics; Gene Products, tax - metabolism; HIV Infections - pathology; Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 - genetics; Humans; Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell - genetics; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Lymphoma - pathology; Retroviridae Proteins - genetics; Retroviridae Proteins - metabolism; HBZ; apoptosis; Bcl-xL; HTLV-1; Tax; ATLL
• ISSN: 1931-8405
• DOI: 10.1089/AID.2023.0025

Adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma is a malignancy with a poor prognosis caused by human T lymphocyte virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection. Tax and HBZ are two major viral proteins that may be involved in oncogenesis by disrupting apoptosis. Because Bcl-xL plays an integral role in the anti-apoptotic pathway, this study examines the interaction between host apoptosis and oncoproteins. We investigated 37 HTLV-1-infected individuals, including 18 asymptomatic and 19 adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) subjects. mRNA was extracted and converted to cDNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and then gene expression was determined using TaqMan q-PCR. Moreover, the HTLV-1 proviral load (PVL) was also measured using a commercial absolute quantification kit (Novin Gene, Iran). Data analysis revealed that the mean of , , and PVL was significantly higher among the study groups (ATLL and carrier groups  = .003,  = .000, and  = .002 respectively). There was no statistical difference in Bcl-xL gene expression between the study groups (  = .323). It is proposed that this anti-apoptotic pathway may not be directly involved in the development of ATLL lymphoma. , TAX, HBZ gene expression, and PVL can be utilized as prognostic markers.