Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Isolation of a new type C retrovirus (HTLV) in primary uncultured cells of a patient with Sézary T-cell leukaemia

Nature volume 294, pages 268–271 (1981)Cite this article

Abstract

Retroviruses have been isolated from many animal species and several have been shown to be the aetiological agents of naturally occurring leukaemias, lymphomas and sarcomas (for recent reviews see ref. 1). There is evidence that these viruses or components of them are present in humans, but the isolation and analysis of retroviruses from human cells and evidence for an association with disease have been difficult to demonstrate (see refs 2,3). We now report the isolation and characterization of a new type C retrovirus (HTLVMB) from a patient with a cutaneous T-cell leukaemia (Sézary syndrome). Analysis of the proteins and nucleic acids of this retrovirus isolate indicates that it is closely related to HTLVCR, a retrovirus recently isolated4 and characterized5–7 from a patient with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides) but distinct from known animal retroviruses. Proteins and nucleic acids of HTLV were also identified in the fresh (uncultured) Sézary leukaemic blood cells from which the second isolate was derived.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Klein, G. Viral Oncology (Raven, New York, (1980).

  2. Gallo, R. C. et al. in Origins of Human Cancer (eds Hiatt, H. et al.) 1253–1285 (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Gallo, R. C. & Meyskens, F. Sem. Hemat. 4, 173–180 (1978).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Poiesz, B. J. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 7415–7419 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Reitz, M. S., Poiesz, B. J., Ruscetti, F. W. & Gallo, R. C. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 1887–1891 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Rho, H. M., Poiesz, B., Ruscetti, F. W. & Gallo, R. C. Virology 112, 355–360 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Kalyanaraman, V. S., Sarngadharan, M. G., Poiesz, B., Ruscetti, F. W. & Gallo, R. C. J. Virol. 38, 506–515 (1981).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Morgan, D. A., Ruscetti, F. W. & Gallo, R. C. Science 193, 1007–1008 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Ruscetti, F. W., Morgan, D. A. & Gallo, R. C. J. Immun. 119, 131–138 (1977).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Mier, J. W. & Gallo, R. C. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 6134–6138 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Poiesz, B. J., Ruscetti, F. W., Mier, J. W., Woods, A. M. & Gallo, R. C. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 6815–6819 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Gazdar, A. F. et al. Blood 55, 409–417 (1980).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Gootenberg, J. E., Ruscetti, F. W., Mier, J. W., Gazoar, A. & Gallo, R. C. J. exp. Med. (in the press).

  14. Lutzner, M. et al. Ann. intern. Med. 83, 534–552 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Sarngadharan, M. G., Robert-Guroff, M. & Gallo, R. C. Biochim. biophys. Acta 516, 419–487 (1978).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Kalyanaraman, V. S., Sarngadharan, M. G., Bunn, P. A., Minna, J. D. & Gallo, R. C. Nature 294, 271–273 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Posner, L. E. et al. J. exp. Med. 58, 154; 333–340 (1981).

    Google Scholar 

  18. van der Loo, E. M. et al. Virchows Arch. path. Anat. Physiol. B31, 193–203 (1979).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Kaplan, H. S. Sem. Hemat. 7, 94–163 (1974).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Cockrell, G. L., Krahowha, S., Hoover, E. A., Olsen, R. G. & Yohn, D. S. in Comparative Leukemia Research (eds Clemmensen, J. & Yohn, D. S.) 81 (Karger, Basle, (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Olson, C. Bovine Practitioner 14, 115–120 (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Gallo, R. C. et al. Virology 84, 359–373 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Gallo, R. C., Whang-Peng, J. & Perry, S. Science 165, 400–402 (1969).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20205, USA

    Bernard J. Poiesz, Francis W. Ruscetti, Marvin S. Reitz, V. S. Kalyanaraman & Robert C. Gallo

Authors
  1. Bernard J. Poiesz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Francis W. Ruscetti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marvin S. Reitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. V. S. Kalyanaraman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Robert C. Gallo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Poiesz, B., Ruscetti, F., Reitz, M. et al. Isolation of a new type C retrovirus (HTLV) in primary uncultured cells of a patient with Sézary T-cell leukaemia. Nature 294, 268–271 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/294268a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/294268a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing