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J Virol, March 1998, p. 1959-1966, Vol. 72, No. 3
0022-538X/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Identification of a Domain within the Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 2 Envelope Required for Syncytium Induction and Replication

Betty Poon¹ and Irvin S. Y. Chen^1,2,*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology¹ and Division of Hematology-Oncology,² UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90095

Received 12 May 1997/Accepted 13 November 1997

In vitro infection by human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 and 2 (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2) can result in syncytium formation, facilitating viral entry. Using cell lines that were susceptible to HTLV-2-mediated syncytium formation but were nonfusogenic with HTLV-1, we constructed chimeric envelopes between HTLV-1 and -2 and assayed for the ability to induce syncytia in BJAB cells and HeLa cells. We have identified a fusion domain composed of the first 64 amino acids at the amino terminus of the HTLV-2 transmembrane protein, p21, the retention of which was required for syncytium induction. Construction of replication-competent HTLV genomic clones allowed us to correlate the ability of HTLV-2 to induce syncytia with the ability to replicate in BJAB cells. Differences in the ability to induce syncytia were not due to differences in the levels of total or cell membrane-associated envelope or in the formation of multimers. Therefore, we have localized a fusion domain within the amino terminus of the transmembrane protein of HTLV-2 envelope that is necessary for syncytium induction and viral replication.

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^* Corresponding author. Mailing address: 11-934 Factor, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1678. Phone: (310) 825-4793. Fax: (310) 794-7682. E-mail: rtaweesu{at}MED1.MEDSCH.ucla.edu.

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