Abstract
Various tumors have been reported to express an inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and nitric oxide (NO) may affect the clinicopathological features of these tumors. Previously, Burkitt’s lymphoma and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-infected cells were shown to express iNOS constitutively at a low level. We analyzed iNOS expression by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase reaction method (RT-PCR) in eight HTLV-I-infected cell lines (five were ATL-derived lines and there were in vitro transformed lines), nine ATL patients (three were chronic, two were acute, and four were lymphoma type), and an HTLV-I-negative T cell line (CEM). In four ATL derived and in all three in vitro transformed cell lines, iNOS was expressed constitutively, but it was not expressed in CEM cells. Four out of nine ATL patients also showed iNOS expression. The expression of iNOS was found in all subtypes of ATL. Three of four iNOS-positive patients had infiltration of ATL cells to organs such as skin, lung, or liver. In NOS inhibitor (NG-monomethyl-L-arginine: L-NMMA)-containing medium, an iNOS-positive ATL cell line (K3T) showed growth inhibition and DNA ladder. Although only a limited number of patients was analyzed, our results suggest that NO may be involved in the invasive character of ATL cells. The NOS inhibitor can induce apoptosis in an ATL cell line, as it does in EBV-infected cell lines.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sonoki, T., Matsuzaki, H., Nagasaki, A. et al. Detection of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA by RT-PCR in ATL patients and HTLV-I infected cell lines: clinical features and apoptosis by NOS inhibitor. Leukemia 13, 713–718 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2401398
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2401398
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Evaluation of INOS, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 gene expression: A study of adult T cell leukemia malignancy associated with HTLV-1
Archives of Virology (2017)
-
Inducible nitric oxide synthase mediates DNA double strand breaks in Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1-induced leukemia/lymphoma
Retrovirology (2015)
-
Nitric oxide induces the apoptosis of human BCR-ABL-positive myeloid leukemia cells: evidence for the chelation of intracellular iron
Leukemia (2002)
-
Regulation of the acute myeloid leukemia cell line OCI/AML-2 by endothelial nitric oxide synthase under the control of a vascular endothelial growth factor signaling system
Leukemia (2001)
-
Mechanisms involved in the pro- and anti-apoptotic role of NO in human leukemia
Leukemia (2000)