SUMMARY REPORTS OF EXCHANGE SCIENTISTS

(1) Shunro Sonoda
Kagoshima University

SPONSOR AND HOST INSTITUTION:
Dr. Robert C Gallo
Chief, Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, NCI
National Institute of Health
DATES OF VISIT: September 24-0ctober 18, 1994

SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES:
I attended the 1994 Annual Meeting sponsored by the Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, NCI, which was held at Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza in September 25 - October 1, 1994. I presented a talk on the Immunogenetics and Immunopathology of ATL and LAM/TSP. During the meeting, I discussed molecular pathology of HIV/HTLV infections, HIV vaccines, immunotherapy and gene-therapy for AIDS. A plenty of reports was informative to consider prevention, control and therapy of human retroviral diseases.
From October 2 - 5, 1994, I visited NCI in Bethesda to fanalize the study on HTLV-I-associated infective Dermatitis from Jamaican children. This study was collaborated with US NCI (Dr. Blattner), Kagoshima University (Dr. Sonoda) and the West Indies University (Dr. Hanchard). The finalized paper was submitted to an international journal.
From October 6 - 8, I visited the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston to prganize a joint project on HTLV-I Carriers from Southern Kyusyu, Miyazaki and Kagoshima. Harvard University (Dr. Mueller) and Kagoshima University (Dr. Sonoda) agreed to study HLA types of HTLV-I carriers from Miyazaki and Kagoshima cohorts. The data will be compared with HTLV-I carriers from other ethnic groups.
From October 9 - 12, I visited the Scripps Clinic and Research Insititute at La Jolla to investigate research activity in Immunology and Allergy. I saw a high activity in Dr. Oldstone’s laboratory. They studied animal model for viral latency and neuropathlogy caused by host’s immune response. The animal model was informative to learn autoimmune pathogenesis in human diseases.
From October 13 - 16, I visited UCLA AIDS Center to see the progress of HIV/HTLV research and gene-therapy. ATL model of SCID mice was useful for experimental immunotherapy. A new retrovirus vector for gene-therapy was under development. The rate of gene delivery was around 8 - 10% in the transfection system with human stem lines.
My activities at the NCI Meeting and the other four institutes were useful to learn the advances in the HIV/HTLV researches and the gene therapy. Two research projects for HTLV-I epidemiology and immunogenetics were successfully organized in collaboration with US-NCI and Harvard University. Both projects were linked to the International HLA Workshop in 1996 which aims to study genetic polymorphism of HLA at global level. I greatly appreciate the Us-Japan Cooperative Cancer Research Program for my successful trip to organize the international collaborative study oh human retroviral diseases.

PUBLICATIONS:
1. Shunro Sonoda. Immunogenetics and immunopathology of ATL and HAM/TSP AIDS Res. Human Retroviruses 10;S131 (1994)
2. Lois LaGranade, Shunro Sonoda, et al. HLA DRB1*DQB*haplotype in HTLV-I-associated familial infective dermatitis may predict development of HAM/TSP (submitted to Lancet).



(2) Mitsuhiro Osamae
Faculty of Medicine,
Kagoshima University

SPONSOR AND HOST INSTITUTION:
Dr. Robert C Gallo
Chief, Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, NCI
National Institutes of Health
DATES OF VISIT: September 10 - October 1, 1994

SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES:
The objective at this program is to discuss more details about pathomechanism of HTLV-I-associated myelopathy and the related research techniques. The schedule was completed according to the initial plan as follows:
(1) September 10 - 18
I visited Dr. A. G. Engel to dicuss about myopathy associated with HTLV-I and gave a lucture on the pathomechanism of HAM.
(2) September 18 - 20
I visited Dr. A. T. Haase to discuss about in situ PCR for HTLV-I and gave a lecture on the recent study of HAM.
(3) September 22 - 25
I visited Dr. W. W. Hall to discuss about diseases associated THLV-I and II and gave a lecture on the pathomechanism of HAM.
(4) September 25 - October 1
I attended the 1994 Annual Meeting sponsored by the laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology to give a lecture in the session on “HTLV”, and to discuss with Dr. R. C. Gallo about the pathomechanism of HAM.
Through the above activity, I could teach them our recent studies on the pathmechanism of HAM and also obtained some important techniques of in situ PCR for HTLV-I. List of publications resulting from this study follows:
1. F. Umehara, M. Osamae, et al.: Apoptosis of lymphocytes in the spinal cord lesions in HTLV-I-associated myelopathy: A possible mechanism to control viral infection in the central nervous system. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 53:617-624, 1994 2. Tanya J. Lehky, M. Osamae, et al.: Detection of human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) tax RNA in the central nervous system of HTLV-I-associated muelopathy/Tropical spastic paraparesis patients by in situ hybridization Ann Neurol 37:167-175, 1995
3. Fidias E. Leon-S, M. Osamae, et al.: Contralateral early blink reflex in patients with HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. J Neurol Sci 128:51-57, 1995.
4. I. Higuchi, M. Osamae, et al.: Detection of HTLV-I provirus by in situ polymerase chain reaction in mononuclear inflammatory cells in skeletal muscle of viral carriers with polymyositis. Muscle and Nerve: in press.
5. I. Higuchi, M. Osamae, et al.: In situ polymerase chain detection of HTLV-I provirus and expression of the p53 tumor suppressor gene in infiltrating cells in skeletal muscle from a patient with adult T cell leukemia. Acta Neuropathol: in press.