Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-1) was discovered about 30 years ago and is the only known oncogenic human retrovirus. HTLV-1 causes a neoplastic disease called adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), and several inflammatory diseases, that include HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), HTLV-1 uveitis and infective dermatitis.
Although recent progress has been made with allogenic stem cell transplantation or IFN-?/AZT treatment, current clinical treatments for ATL especially of its acute form are still woefully inadequate. In addition, treatment for other HTLV-1-related diseases are currently very disappointing.
Reviews in this issue will provide information of current status of our understanding of this unique retrovirus from the pathogenic point of view, covering the following topics of HTLV-1 research: mechanism of cell-to-cell transmission, adaptive and innate responses against the virus, signaling alteration caused by the different viral proteins, mechanisms of cell transformation, and molecular abnormalities in ATL cells. These articles will help to understand the unanswered questions in the field of HTLV-1 and related diseases, and provide future directions for HTLV-1 researchers.
Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-1) was discovered about 30 years ago and is the only known oncogenic human retrovirus. HTLV-1 causes a neoplastic disease called adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), and several inflammatory diseases, that include HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), HTLV-1 uveitis and infective dermatitis.
Although recent progress has been made with allogenic stem cell transplantation or IFN-?/AZT treatment, current clinical treatments for ATL especially of its acute form are still woefully inadequate. In addition, treatment for other HTLV-1-related diseases are currently very disappointing.
Reviews in this issue will provide information of current status of our understanding of this unique retrovirus from the pathogenic point of view, covering the following topics of HTLV-1 research: mechanism of cell-to-cell transmission, adaptive and innate responses against the virus, signaling alteration caused by the different viral proteins, mechanisms of cell transformation, and molecular abnormalities in ATL cells. These articles will help to understand the unanswered questions in the field of HTLV-1 and related diseases, and provide future directions for HTLV-1 researchers.