Structural features of two T-cell-specific genes that suggest a potential role in HTLV-I-associated pathology.

The Rpt-1 gene product is an intranuclear protein expressed by CD4+ T-cells, which may regulate expression of the interleukin-2 receptor. Structural analysis of Rpt-1 reveals structural motifs that are shared by a group of transcriptional regulatory proteins with oncogenic potential. We suggest that altered expression of Rpt-1 may be associated with HTLV-I-dependent T-cell leukemias.