Resistance to Fas-mediated apoptosis of peripheral T cells in human T lymphocyte virus type I (HTLV-I) transgenic mice with autoimmune arthropathy

Transgenic mice carrying the env-pX region of human T lymphocyte virus type I (HTLV-I) develop autoimmune arthropathy in high incidence. Adopting the approach that Fas-mediated apoptosis has a critical function in the elimination of self-reactive T cells, we examined the involvement of this apoptosis in the induction of autoimmunity in HTLV-I transgenic mice. Splenic T cells derived from the transgenic mice were more resistant to apoptosis induced by anti-Fas mAb than those of the nontransgenic mice, whereas no appreciable difference in apoptosis was detected for thymocytes from either mouse's type. The resistance of transgenic T cells may be due to Tax coded in the pX region, since Tax mediates the inhibition of anti-Fas-induced apoptosis in mature T cell line, Jurkat. Among the transgenic mice, the extent of the resistance to Fas-mediated apoptosis was further enhanced in transgenic T cells with disease. These results suggest that the escape of self-reactive T cells from Fas-mediated apoptosis in the periphery, is critical for the development of autoimmune arthropathy in HTLV-I transgenic mice.