Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 basic leucine zipper factor (HBZ)

The Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 basic leucine zipper factor (HBZ) is a critical regulatory protein encoded by the antisense strand of the HTLV-1 genome (Matsuoka & Green, 2009 [https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4690-6-71]). Unlike the viral transactivator Tax, which is frequently silenced in leukemic cells to avoid immune detection, HBZ is constitutively expressed in all cases of Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and throughout the course of infection (Satou et al., 2011 [https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2010-06-291427]). HBZ functions primarily as a transcription factor that modulates host cell signaling pathways, including the inhibition of the classical NF-kappaB pathway and the activation of TGF-beta signaling, which promotes T-cell proliferation and viral persistence (UniProt P0C211 [https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P0C211/entry]). It plays a dual role in pathogenesis, contributing to both the development of ATL and the inflammatory neurodegenerative disease HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Given its indispensable role in maintaining the oncogenic state of infected cells, HBZ is a high-priority target for novel therapeutics, such as antisense oligonucleotides and peptide-based vaccines, aimed at treating HTLV-1-related malignancies (Shiohama et al., 2016 [https://doi.org/10.1111/cas.12982]).

Other names

HTLV-1 bZIP factorHBZ proteinHTLV-I basic leucine zipper factorProtein HBZ

Inhibition of HBZ mRNA or protein function to suppress viral persistence and induce apoptosis in HTLV-1 infected cells.