News Releases & Research Results The study establishes a comprehensive and highly precise method for detecting new viral sequences from the human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-1), subsequently obtaining comprehensive information about proviruses from approximately 100 HTLV-1-infected Japanese patients using the developed method.

The results of the collaborative study performed by Professor Yorifumi Satou of the Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University; Assistant Professor Hiroo Katsuya of Saga University; Visiting Professor Atae Utsunomiya of Kagoshima University; Professor Yoshihisa Yamano St. Marianna University School of Medicine;, and others.

• With regard to HTLV-1*, the study established a new method to comprehensively obtain information on proviruses integrated into the DNA of infected host cells with a high degree of precision using next-generation sequencing and DNA probes (detectors) targeting viral genes.
  * Japan has approximately 800,000 individuals infected with HTLV-1 and it is known that some of them develop cancer or chronic inflammatory diseases.
• Using the method established in this study, comprehensive information about HTLV-1 proviruses was obtained from approximately 100 HTLV-1-infected Japanese individuals.
• The study results are expected to be applicable not only to HTLV-1 infection, but also to other cancer-related viral infections.

This study was conducted with the support of Japanese Initiative for Progress of Research on Infectious Disease for global Epidemic (J-PRIDE) by the AMED.

The results of the study were published in Cell Reports on October 15.

Katsuya H., et al. The nature of HTLV-1 provirus in naturally infected individuals analyzed by viral DNA-capture-seq approach Cell Reports
DOI：10.1016/j.celrep.2019.09.016