Identification of a novel common proviral integration site, flit-1, in feline leukemia virus induced thymic lymphoma

Virology. 2009 Mar 30;386(1):16-22. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2009.01.021. Epub 2009 Feb 8.

Abstract

A new proviral integration site for feline leukemia virus (FeLV), termed flit-1, was identified from feline thymic lymphoma. Among 35 FeLV-related tumors examined, 5 of 25 thymic lymphomas demonstrated proviral insertion within flit-1 locus whereas none of four alimentary and five multicentric lymphomas and one T-lymphoid leukemia examined had rearrangement in this region. Extensive sequence analysis has shown that flit-1, which is noncoding, is conserved on human chromosome 12 and mouse chromosome 15. The human and murine homologs of flit-1 are positioned approximately 30-kb upstream to activin-A receptor type II-like 1 (ACVRL1/ALK1) gene. Expression of ACVRL1 mRNA was examined in two of five lymphomas with flit-1 rearrangement and detected in both of the two whereas normal thymuses and seven lymphoid tumors without flit-1 rearrangement had no detectable expression. Therefore, flit-1 appears to represent a novel FeLV proviral common integration domain that may influence lymphomagenesis as insertional mutagenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cat Diseases / virology
  • Cats
  • Gene Order
  • Gene Rearrangement
  • Leukemia Virus, Feline / physiology*
  • Lymphoma / pathology
  • Lymphoma / virology*
  • Proviruses / physiology*
  • Thymus Gland / pathology
  • Thymus Gland / virology*
  • Virus Integration*