Product Description

This Tetramer reagent comprises human class II HLA-DRB1*01:01 and epitope peptide derived from Human T cell leukemia virus type 1 tax protein (HTLV-1 Tax), and it can detect HLA-DRB1*01:01- restricted HTLV-1 Tax-specific CD4+ T cells by flow cytometry. HTLV-1 is the causative agent of a highly aggressive CD4+ T cell malignancy, adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). Approximately 5% of HTLV-1–seropositive individuals develop ATL, and another 2–3% develop a slow progressive neurologic disorder known as HTLV-1–associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) or various chronic inflammatory diseases but the majority of HTLV-1–infected individuals remain asymptomatic throughout their lives. This virus has infected 10–20 million people worldwide, especially in southern Japan, Caribbean basin, South America, Melanesia, and equatorial Africa. For induction and maintenance of virus-specific CTLs, virus-specific CD4+ helper T cell (Th) responses are required in many virus infections. However, there are only a few reports of HTLV-1–specific Th cell responses, presumably because of their susceptibility to HTLV-1 infection in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, it is important to clarify the role of HTLV-1–specific CD4+ T cells in HTLV-1 infection for understanding HTLV-1–specific T cell immunity in HTLV-1-infected individuals and for developing new vaccine strategies to prevent onset or recurrence of ATL. Tamai Y, et al. (Department of Immunotherapeutics, Tokyo Medical and Dental University) identified a novel HLA-DRB1*01:01- restricted epitope, Tax155–167, recognized by HTLV-1–specific CD4+ Th1-like cells and elucidated possibility that Tax-specific CD4+ T cells may augment the graft-versus-Tax effects via efficient induction of Tax-specific CD8+ T cell responses in ATL patients with complete remission after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Product Description

This Tetramer reagent comprises human class II HLA-DRB1*01:01 and epitope peptide derived from Human T cell leukemia virus type 1 tax protein (HTLV-1 Tax), and it can detect HLA-DRB1*01:01- restricted HTLV-1 Tax-specific CD4+ T cells by flow cytometry. HTLV-1 is the causative agent of a highly aggressive CD4+ T cell malignancy, adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). Approximately 5% of HTLV-1–seropositive individuals develop ATL, and another 2–3% develop a slow progressive neurologic disorder known as HTLV-1–associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) or various chronic inflammatory diseases but the majority of HTLV-1–infected individuals remain asymptomatic throughout their lives. This virus has infected 10–20 million people worldwide, especially in southern Japan, Caribbean basin, South America, Melanesia, and equatorial Africa. For induction and maintenance of virus-specific CTLs, virus-specific CD4+ helper T cell (Th) responses are required in many virus infections. However, there are only a few reports of HTLV-1–specific Th cell responses, presumably because of their susceptibility to HTLV-1 infection in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, it is important to clarify the role of HTLV-1–specific CD4+ T cells in HTLV-1 infection for understanding HTLV-1–specific T cell immunity in HTLV-1-infected individuals and for developing new vaccine strategies to prevent onset or recurrence of ATL. Tamai Y, et al. (Department of Immunotherapeutics, Tokyo Medical and Dental University) identified a novel HLA-DRB1*01:01- restricted epitope, Tax155–167, recognized by HTLV-1–specific CD4+ Th1-like cells and elucidated possibility that Tax-specific CD4+ T cells may augment the graft-versus-Tax effects via efficient induction of Tax-specific CD8+ T cell responses in ATL patients with complete remission after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.