Unusual CD4+CD8+ phenotype in a Greek patient diagnosed with adult T-cell leukemia positive for human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I)

Ciminale, Vincenzo; Hatziyanni, Maria; Felber, Barbara K; Bear, Jenifer; Hatzakis, Angelos; Pavlakis, George N

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Volume 24, Issue 4 , Pages 353-358, April 2000

Unusual CD4+CD8+ phenotype in a Greek patient diagnosed with adult T-cell leukemia positive for human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I)

Vincenzo Ciminale
- Present address: Department of Oncology and Surgical Sciences, University of Padova, Italy.
- ABL-Basic Research Program, Human Retrovirus Section, National Cancer Institute — Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Room 210, Building 535, Sultan Street, Frederick, MD 21702-1201, USA
Maria Hatziyanni
- Department of Hematology, Metaxa Cancer Hospital of Piraeus, Piraeus 18537, Greece
Barbara K Felber
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, National Cancer Institute — Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, ABL-Basic Research Program, Frederick, MD 21702-1201, USA
Jenifer Bear
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, National Cancer Institute — Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, ABL-Basic Research Program, Frederick, MD 21702-1201, USA
Angelos Hatzakis
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Athens University Medical School, Athens 11572, Greece
George N Pavlakis
- ABL-Basic Research Program, Human Retrovirus Section, National Cancer Institute — Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Room 210, Building 535, Sultan Street, Frederick, MD 21702-1201, USA
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-301-8461474; fax: +1-301-8466368/7146

Received 19 August 1999; accepted 6 November 1999.

Abstract

We describe the first Greek patient diagnosed with Adult T cell leukemia (ATL) characterized by an expansion of CD4+CD8+ double positive lymphocytes. Low levels of plasma antibodies against HTLV-I Env and Gag proteins were detected. Analysis of the the patient's DNA revealed that she was infected by a cosmopolitan strain of HTLV-I. Since HTLV-I usually leads to the expansion of CD4+ cells, this patient illustrates a rare immunophenotype, which suggests that the HTLV-I-induced proliferative response may occur in a pre-T cell stage.

Keywords: HTLV-I, ATL, Leukemia

Abbreviations: ATL, adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, FACS, fluorescent automated cell sorter, HTLV-I, human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type I, LTR, long terminal repeats, PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, PCR, polymerase chain reaction, TSP/HAM, tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-I associated myelopathy