Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1) pathogenesis: A systems virology study

The main mechanisms of interaction between Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and its hosts in the manifestation of the related disease including HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) and Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) are yet to be determined. It is pivotal to find out the changes in the genes expression toward an asymptomatic or symptomatic states. To this end, the systems virology analysis was performed. Firstly, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were taken pairwise among the four sample sets of Normal, Asymptomatic Carriers (ACs), ATLL, and HAM/TSP. Afterwards, the protein-protein interaction networks were reconstructed utilizing the hub genes. In conclusion, the pathways of cells proliferation and transformation were identified in the ACs state. In addition to immune pathways in ATLL, the inflammation and cancer pathways were discened in both diseases of ATLL and HAM/TSP. The outcomes can specify the genes involved in the pathogenesis and help to design the drugs in the future.