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Updated: Jul 28, 2026
piggyBac Transposon System Modification of Primary Human T Cells
Published on: November 5, 2012
Transformation of guinea pig leukocytes by coinfection with human T-cell lymphotropic virus types I and II
K Murakami1, N Hatakeyama, T Ikezoe
1Department of Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Japan.
Objective:
The susceptibility of guinea pigs to human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) infection and of their cardiac blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs) to HTLV-induced transformation were investigated.
Study Design/Methods:
Guinea pig CBMCs were cocultured with HTLV-infected cell lines. Guinea pigs were then inoculated with transformed guinea pig CBMCs.
Results:
The coculture experiment gave rise to a guinea pig cell line, GP-1, that was coinfected with both HTLV-I and HTLV-II as shown by immunofluorescence staining, electron microscopy, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers specific for the pol region of each virus, and Southern blot hybridization. The GP-1 cell line expressed T-cell markers and monocyte/macrophage markers. Three guinea pigs given an intraperitoneal inoculation of GP-1 cells seroconverted for HTLV-I and became positive for HTLV-I, HTLV-II, or both, as confirmed by PCR.
Conclusions:
Guinea pigs and their CBMCs can be infected with HTLV-I and HTLV-II. This animal system may be useful as an experimental model of HTLV-I and HTLV-II infection.
