Cell adhesion molecules in HTLV-I infection.

Cell adhesion molecules expressed on the cell surface of leukemic cells and on vascular endothelial cells may play a key role in trafficking, localization, and infiltration of leukemic cells in adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). The predominant adhesion pathway between ATL cells or human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I)-infected cell lines and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) is an E-selectin-mediated pathway as determined by studies using adhesion-blocking monoclonal antibodies, although fresh leukemic cells and HTLV-I-infected cell lines also expressed LFA-I, VLA-4, L-selectin, and CD44. Our study also strongly suggested the presence of adhesion pathway(s) mediated by as yet unknown cell adhesion molecule(s), to which we have recently developed monoclonal antibodies.