Student Research Committee, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Alborz, Iran.
Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research & Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran.
Virus Genes. 2024 Apr;60(2):117-125. doi: 10.1007/s11262-024-02051-0. Epub 2024 Jan 25.
Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is linked to two debilitating diseases, adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and HTLV-1 associated myelopathy tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), which are prevalent in various parts of the world, including the Alborz province in Iran. Understanding the prevalence and evolutionary relationships of HTLV-1 infections in these endemic areas is of utmost importance. In the realm of phylogenetic studies, long terminal repeat (LTR) region of HTLV-1 stands out as highly conserved, yet more variable compared to other gene segments. Consequently, it is the primary focus for phylogenetic analyses. Additionally, trans-activator of transcription (Tax), an oncoprotein, holds a pivotal role in the regulation of gene expression. This cross-sectional study delved into the phylogenetic analysis of HTLV-1 among individuals in Alborz province of Iran. To confirm infection, we amplified partial sequence LTR (PLTR) and HTLV-1 bZIP factor (PHBZ). For phylogenetic analysis, we sequenced the full sequence LTR (FLTR) and full Tax sequence (FTax). The FLTR and FTax sequences underwent analysis using BioEdit, and phylogenetic trees were constructed using MEGA-X software. Out of the roughly 15,000 annual blood donors in Alborz, 19 samples tested positive for HTLV-1, indicating a 0.13% HTLV-1 positivity rate among blood donors. Furthermore, the HTLV-1 virus prevalent in the Alborz province belongs to subtype A (cosmopolitan) subgroup A. The findings revealed that while mutations were observed in both the LTR and Tax genes, they were not significant enough to bring about fundamental alterations. Despite positive selection detected in three Alborz isolates, it has not led to mutations affecting Tax function and virulence.
人 T 细胞嗜淋巴细胞病毒 1 型（HTLV-1）与两种使人衰弱的疾病有关，成人 T 细胞白血病/淋巴瘤（ATLL）和 HTLV-1 相关的脊髓病热带痉挛性截瘫（HAM/TSP），这些疾病在世界许多地方都很流行，包括伊朗的阿尔博兹省。了解这些流行地区 HTLV-1 感染的流行情况和进化关系至关重要。在系统发育研究领域，HTLV-1 的长末端重复（LTR）区域高度保守，但与其他基因片段相比，变化更大。因此，它是系统发育分析的主要焦点。此外，转录激活物（Tax）是一种癌蛋白，在基因表达调控中起着关键作用。这项横断面研究深入探讨了伊朗阿尔博兹省个体中 HTLV-1 的系统发育分析。为了确认感染，我们扩增了部分序列 LTR（PLTR）和 HTLV-1 bZIP 因子（PHBZ）。为了进行系统发育分析，我们对全长 LTR（FLTR）和全长 Tax 序列（FTax）进行了测序。使用 BioEdit 对 FLTR 和 FTax 序列进行分析，并使用 MEGA-X 软件构建系统发育树。在阿尔博兹省约 15000 名年度献血者中，有 19 名样本检测出 HTLV-1 阳性，表明献血者中 HTLV-1 的阳性率为 0.13%。此外，阿尔博兹省流行的 HTLV-1 病毒属于 A 亚型（世界性）A 亚组。研究结果表明，尽管在 LTR 和 Tax 基因中都观察到了突变，但它们并没有大到足以引起根本性的改变。尽管在三个阿尔博兹分离株中检测到正选择，但它并没有导致影响 Tax 功能和毒力的突变。
