HTLV-1 persistence
Figure 3: Once acquired, HTLV-1 is not eradicated but persists lifelong in the host. Previously it was thought that HTLV-1 lies dormant for most of its life cycle, but it is now becoming clear that HTLV-1 sets up a highly dynamic equilibrium between persistent viral replication and immune surveillance. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play a central part in this immune surveillance, by killing lymphocytes that express viral proteins. We are identifying the positive (blue) and negative (red) selection forces that allow HTLV-1 to persist in vivo. We aim to quantify these forces and to build a coherent quantitative explanation of HTLV-1 persistence. Our group has contributed to all of the findings shown here, except for the role of the HTLV-1 regulatory proteins p12I, p30, Rex and HBZ (Asquith & Bangham 2007).
