Transgenic mice containing the HTLV-I tax gene develop several phenotypes which resemble human neurofibromatosis and Sjogren's syndrome. These transgenic animals are being utilized to study the in vivo effects of tax expression. The production of cytokines and growth factors, which may be involved in the transformation of cells by tax, are being elucidated. Tax appears to alter the expression of the granulocyte macrophage colony- stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) and nerve- growth factor (NGF). These transgenic animals develop significant lymph node hyperplasia. The relationship of this to tax expression is being investigated.
