Expression of HTLV-specific polypeptides in various human T-cell lines

The adult T-cell leukemia (ATL)-associated antigen complex (ATLA) was first discovered with indirect immunofluorescence by Hinuma et al. (1981). Biochemical analysis with MT-2 cells revealed that ATLA consisted mainly of human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV) structural polypeptides and their precursors (Yamamoto and Hinuma 1982a; Schneider et al. 1984). In this study, we have investigated the molecular nature of the ATLA antigen complex in various HTLV-positive human cell lines established by different methods including independently established HTLV-infected HUT 102 cells. We found that HTLVs infecting these cell lines have similar core polypeptides, p24 and p19, as well as an envelope glycopolypeptide, gp46, in all these cells. The intracellular gp61 and p53 appear to be precursors of the viral envelope and core polypeptides, respectively. Interestingly, MT-2 and MT-2 related T-cell lines contain two different species of envelope proteins, gp68 and gp61, whereas cell lines not related to MT-2 express only gp61.