Gene expression profiles of CD8+ T Lymphocytes isolated from HTLV-1 infected individuals. Homo sapiens

HTLV-1 is the etiologic agent of HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). CD8+ T cells may contribute to the protection or development of HAM/TSP. In this study we used SAGE to assess gene expression profiles of CD8+ T cells isolated from HTLV-1 asymptomatic carriers (HAC) and from HAM/TSP patients, in order to identify genes involved in the HAM/TSP development. Analysis of SAGE was conducted by pooling samples according to clinical status. The comparison of gene expression profiles between controls and HAC or HAM/TSP identified around 900 genes. HAC versus HAM/TSP libraries showed 285 differentially expressed genes. We found that CXCR4 had a lower expression level in the HTLV-1 infected group than in controls. CCL5 had higher expression in HAM/TSP group, as compared to HAC. Our results provide a large-scale perspective of gene expression that may be further tested with functional assays to increase our understanding on the HTLV1-related diseases pathology. Overall design: Comparative analysis of gene expression profiles of CD8+ T Lymphocytes isolated from HTLV-1 infected individuals.