Detecting primate T cell lymphoma/leukemia viruses, useful e.g. for diagnosis and drug screening, using degenerate oligonucleotides based on conserved regions of envelope protein

摘要

Use of a pair of 5'- and 3'-oriented degenerate oligonucleotides (dON) for detecting any strain, including new strains, of primate T cell lymphoma/leukemia viruses (PTLV) or related viruses, is new. dON are derived from sequences that encode the N-terminal region of the surface component (SU) of the viral envelope protein. Use of a pair of 5'- and 3'-oriented degenerate oligonucleotides (dON) for detecting any strain, including new strains, of primate T cell lymphoma/leukemia viruses (PTLV) or related viruses. dON are derived from sequences that encode the N-terminal region of the surface component (SU) of the viral envelope protein, i.e. the region extending from amino acid (aa) 75-90 (N-terminal) to 230-245 (C-terminal). The virus is derived from human (H) or simian (S) T-cell lymphotropic viruses (TLV) strains HTLV-1 or -2 or STLV-1, -2 or -3, or related viruses in which the aa sequence, deduced from nucleic acid coding sequences for the N-terminus of SU, is at least 30% homologous. Detection comprises: (i) amplification using dON as primers; and (ii) identification of the strain from the resulting amplicon. Independent claims are also included for: (1) dON as new compounds; (2) process for detecting PTLV using dON; (3) kit for detecting the specified viruses comprising a pair of dON as primers and optionally reagents for performing PCR and detecting amplicons; (4) HTIV-1 and -2 variants obtained by the new process; (5) polypeptide (I) defined by aa 75-90 (N-terminus) and 230-245 or 135-150 (C-terminus) of PTLV; (6) nucleic acid (II) that encodes (I); (7) mono- and poly-clonal antibodies (Ab) directed against the variants of (4) or (I); and (8) pharmaceutical composition, particularly vaccines or therapeutic vectors, containing (I), (II) or Ab.