Human T-cell leukemia virus type I: pseudotype neutralization of Japanese and American isolates with human and rabbit sera.

CCC/2M, CCC/10Y and CCC/MT-2 cat kidney cells producing Japanese isolates of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLVs) and HOS/PL human osteosarcoma cells producing an American isolate of HTLV were infected with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) to prepare VSV pseudotypes bearing envelope antigens of HTLVs. VSV propagated in CCC/2M cells contained plaque-forming fractions that were not neutralized by treatment with anti-VSV serum alone: VSV pseudotypes bearing envelope antigens of HTLV2M and CCC cat endogenous virus were formed by infection of CCC/2M cells with VSV. Japanese HTLV2M, HTLV10Y and HTLVMT-2 and American HTLVPL pseudotypes were neutralized by sera of Japanese, American and British patients with ATL. Each serum, including the serum of the patient from whom HTLV2M or HTLV10Y had been derived, gave similar antibody titers against Japanese and American HTLV pseudotypes. The HTLV pseudotypes were also neutralized by rabbit serum raised against HTLVMT-2. A rabbit antiserum against the C-terminal half of the HTLV env protein produced in E. coli also neutralized Japanese and American HTLV pseudotypes. Thus, VSV pseudotype analyses indicated that envelope antigens of HTLVs represent a single serotype worldwide. The env protein produced in E. coli may be used to raise neutralizing antibody against HTLVs.