Specific interaction of HTLV tax protein and a human type IV neuronal intermediate filament protein

The human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV) is associated with adult T cell leukemia and neurological disorders (TSP/HAM). The HTLV transcriptional transactivator, Tax, is known to exert its effect through protein–protein interaction with several transcription factors that activate genes in T cell proliferation. The pathogenic mechanism in the CNS is less defined. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we have identified a specific Tax-binding protein as the neuronal specific intermediate filament protein, α-internexin. Tax binds to the domain corresponding to the rod region of α-internexin, which is essential for neurofilament assembly. The Tax domains involved in binding are separable from those involved in transactivation. TxBP-1/α-internexin and Tax are expressed in the cytoplasm and nucleus, respectively, when expressed alone, but in coexpressing cells, colocalization of both proteins was observed in a perinuclear, punctate distribution. This in vivo interaction also resulted in a dramatic reduction in Tax transactivation and the network formation by α-internexin. The specific interaction of Tax and a neuronal specific intermediate filament protein may provide a clue to the pathogenesis of TSP/HAM.