Fig 8. HBZ reduces oxidative stress in HTLV-1-infected T-cells.

(A) A schematic showing the conversion of reduced glutathione (GSH) to its oxidized form, glutathione disulfide (GSSG) upon exposure to free radicals generated during oxidative stress. (B) The oxidative state of HTLV-1-infected T-cells that express Tax and p13 is elevated. Clarified lysates were prepared from uninfected (Jurkat and CEM) and HTLV-1-infected T-cells (TL-Om1, MT-2, and ATL-2s) that had been equalized at 5x10⁵ cells per mL and cultured for 24 hours. Levels of GSH and GSSG in the lysates were quantified by LC-MS and the GSH:GSSG ratios were calculated. Experiments were performed in triplicate and the data shown are an average of two independent experiments. Error bars represent SEM (two-tailed Student’s t-test, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001). (C) GSH:GSSG ratios were quantified from MT2 cells expressing an shRNA targeting HBZ (shHBZ) and MT2 cells expressing a control shRNA targeting GFP (shGFP). Experiments were performed in triplicate and the data shown are an average of three independent experiments. Error bars represent SEM (two-tailed Student’s t-test, **p≤0.01).