Nuclear damage and miscounted chromosomes: Human T cell leukemia virus transformation of cells

Описание: Nuclear damage and miscounted chromosomes: Human T cell leukemia virus transformation of cells

Air date: Wednesday, October 24, 2012, 3:00:00 PM
Time displayed is Eastern Time, Washington DC Local

Description: Human T-cell Leukemia Virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a delta-retrovirus that infects approximately 20 million individuals worldwide. HTLV-1 is the etiological agent of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), a poorly treatable and prevalently fatal disease. The virus encodes a oncoprotein, Tax, which has been shown to transform primary rodent cells. Tax confers immortalization, anchorage-dependent cell growth, and tumorigenicity to rodent cells. Tax can also immortalize human primary T lymphocytes. However, successful transformation of human cells has not been established using Tax. The Tax protein has pleiotropic effects on host-cell gene expression and activates several pathways such as the cyclic AMP responsive binding protein (CREB), the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), the cyclin-dependant kinases (CDKs), and the Akt pathways. Tax-expressing cells also exhibit nuclear morphological aberrancy, frequent multinucleation, aneuploidy, and loss of function of the tumor suppressor protein p53. Currently, the mechanisms and factors needed for the initiation of ATL by Tax remain incompletely clarified. Dr. Jeang will speak on research insights gained over the past 25 years on how HTLV-1 infection and Tax expression create nuclear damage and aneuploidy in the process of cellular transformation.

The NIH Director's Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series, colloquially known as WALS, is the highest-profile lecture program at the NIH. Lectures occur on most Wednesdays from September through June from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Building 10 on the NIH Bethesda campus.

Each season includes some of the biggest names in biomedical and behavioral research. The goal of the WALS is to keep NIH researchers abreast of the latest and most important research in the Unites States and beyond. An added treat is the annual J. Edward Rall Cultural Lecture, which features top authors and other cultural icons. All speakers are nominated by the NIH community.

Author: Kuan-Teh Jeang, M.D., Ph.D., National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Runtime: 01:16:22

Permanent link: http://videocast.nih.gov/launch.asp?1...