Integration of HTLV-1 provirus into mouse transforming growth factor-alpha gene

Human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) provirus integration was investigated in mice inoculated with MT-2 cells, a HTLV-1 producing human T-cell line, From spleen DNA derived from a MT-2 cell-injected mouse, we cloned a HTLV-1 integration site by ligation-mediated PCR, The nucleotide sequence showed that HTLV-1 provirus was integrated into an intron of the mouse transforming growth factor-cu gene in the reverse orientation. This result provides for the first time molecular evidence that mice can be infected with HTLV-1. (C) 1997 Academic Press.