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Retroviral expression in mononuclear blood cells isolated from a patient with osteopetrosis (albers‐schonberg disease)
Author(s) -
Labat L. M.,
Bringuier A.F.,
Chandra A.,
Chandra P.,
Einhorn T. A.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of bone and mineral research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.882
H-Index - 241
eISSN - 1523-4681
pISSN - 0884-0431
DOI - 10.1002/jbmr.5650050503
Subject(s) - reverse transcriptase , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , enzyme , osteopetrosis , retrovirus , virus , microbiology and biotechnology , virology , antigen , antibody , biology , chemistry , immunology , rna , biochemistry , gene , in vitro
We report the presence of reverse transcriptase activity in the supernatant of long‐term culture of mononuclear blood cells (monocytes and lymphocytes) isolated from a 27‐year‐old patient suffering from benign osteopetrosis. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity according to the technique of Chandra and Steel, by chromatography, first on DEAE‐cellulose (DE 52) and then on phosphocellulose (P11). After purification, the enzyme was characterized biochemically for its template specificity and ionic requirements. The purified enzyme was able to transcribe poly(rA) ··(dT) 12‐18 and poly(rC) ··(dG) 12‐18 very efficiently and had a marked preference for Mg 2+ ions over Mn 2+ ions. The pattern of ionic dependency for this enzyme is similar to that of reverse transcriptases purified from human lymphotropic viruses. The patient was tested and found seronegative for HIV‐1, HIV‐2, and HTLV‐I and seropositive (immunoglobulin C ) for cytomegalovirus. Epstein‐Barr virus nuclear antigens (EBNA) were detected in the patient's B lymphocytes. Since reverse transcriptase is the hallmark of retroviruses, we suggest that a retrovirus may be involved in the etiology of osteopetrosis.