Anti-fungal and cytokine producing activities of CD8 + T lymphocytes from HIV-1 infected individuals

Lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells are capable of killing not only malignant cells but also hyphal form of Candida albicans in vitro. When peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from normal healthy donors were cultured for 72-96 hrs with 1,500 international unit (IU)/ml interleukin-2 (IL-2), marked LAK activity was induced. However, even prior to IL-2 activation, PBMC isolated from some normal subjects and those from almost all individuals who are infected by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) exhibited significant levels of anti-fungal activity. Such pre-activation ("in situ") antifungal activity of PBMC decreased during the initial 48 hrs of IL-2 activation. PBMC from HIV-1 seropositive subjects showed higher levels of "in situ" anti-fungal activity than normal PBMC did. After a decline of "in situ" activity during the initial 48 hours, LAK activity gradually increased and reached near maximal levels by day 4 and remained more or less constant until day 6. No significant difference was observed between the LAK activity of normal and HIV-1(+) PBMCs on days 4-6. In IL-2 activated normal and HIV-1(+) PBMC cultures, both CD4 and CD8 T cells produced IL-2, INF-gamma as well as TNF-alpha. Production of IL-2 by both CD4 and CD8 T cells was suppressed in HIV-1(+) PBMC cultures, but no significant suppression of INF-gamma production was noted. Meanwhile, TNF-alpha production by CD4 was very much suppressed but no significant changes in TNF-alpha production by CD8 T cells was noted in HIV-1(+) PBMC cultures.     

Correlation of the suppressive activity of a biological response modifier on the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the reduction of HIV titer

Activation of CD4+ cells is a prerequisite for infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Thus, any agent capable of suppressing CD4+ cell proliferation could create a refractory stage that would impede viral infection. We have reported, in a previous publication, that a biological response modifier (BRM), polyantigenic immunomodulator (PAI) substantially reduces HIV-1 titer (from 20 to 100%) in peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) cultures with high viral titer (p24 = 10(2)-10(5) pg/ml). We are presenting data suggesting that the reported reduction in virus titer seems to be associated with a suppressive activity of PAI on the proliferation of PBMC from intravenous drug users (IVDU) infected and non-infected with HIV-1. PAI, a well characterized BRM, is a mixture of inactivated bacterial and influenza virus vaccines. PBMC from healthy donors and IVDU individuals were exposed to PAI, phytohemagglutinin (PHA), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and to combinations of PAI with either PHA or IL-2. Appropriate controls were included. 3H-thymidine pulsing was used as indicator of cell proliferation. The stimulation index and the difference between mean cpm of test sample and control were used to measure proliferative activity. There was a low proliferative response in the PBMC cultures from IVDU and HIV-1 positive patients, but it was substantially lower in the later group. When PBMC cultures from the same group of individuals were exposed to PAI, PHA and IL-2, and to the combination of either PAI plus PHA or IL-2, the response observed in the PAI treated group was uniformly lower than in the other treated cultures. Moreover, when PAI was combined with PHA, it exerted a significant reduction in the measured parameters. The effect of PAI on IL-2 activity was negligible. A suppressive effect of a PAI has been detected on the proliferation of PBMC from IVDA and HIV-1 positive individuals. This activity may be associated with the capacity of PAI to reduce HIV titers in infected PBMC cultures.     

Role of Fas ligand and receptor in the mechanism of T-cell depletion in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: effect on CD4+ lymphocyte depletion and human immunodeficiency virus replication

Direct killing of CD4+ lymphocytes by human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) probably cannot account for the magnitude of the loss of these cells during the course of HIV-1 infection. Experimental evidence supports a pathophysiologic role of the apoptotic process in depletion of CD4 cells in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The Fas-receptor/Fas-ligand (Fas-R/Fas-L) system mediates signals for apoptosis of susceptible lymphocytes and lympoblastoid cell lines. A number of investigators have recently reported increased expression of the Fas receptor in individuals with HIV infection, along with increased sensitivity of their lymphocytes to anti-Fas antibody mimicking Fas ligand. We attempted to determine the role of Fas-mediated apoptosis in disease progression and viral replication. Increased Fas-receptor (CD95) expression on CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes was found in a large group of HIV-1-infected patients compared with normal controls; individuals with a diagnosis of AIDS and a history of opportunistic infection had significantly more Fas receptor expression than did asymptomatic HIV-infected persons and normal blood donor controls (P < .01). Triggering of the Fas-R by agonistic anti-Fas monoclonal antibody, CH11, was preferentially associated with apoptosis in the CD4+ cells; this effect was more pronounced in lymphocytes derived from HIV+ individuals. Soluble and membrane-bound forms of Fas-L were produced in greater amounts in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) cultures and in plasma obtained from HIV-1-infected persons than from normal controls. Furthermore, triggering of lymphocytes from HIV-infected persons by CH11 increased levels of interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE), a protein associated with apoptosis. When PBMC were cultured in the presence of CH11, p24 production per number of viable cells was decreased as compared with the same PBMC without CH11 (P < .01). These findings suggest that multiple mechanisms, including increased production of Fas-L by infected PBMC, increased Fas-R expression, and induction of a protease of ICE family, may play roles in the apoptotic depletion of CD4+ cells in HIV infection.     

Expression of the CD8alpha beta-heterodimer on CD8(+) T lymphocytes in peripheral blood lymphocytes of human immunodeficiency virus- and human immunodeficiency virus+ individuals

CD8(+) T lymphocytes play a pivotal role in controlling human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 replication in vivo. We have performed four-color flow cytometric analysis of CD8(+) peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from 21 HIV-1 seronegative and 103 seropositive individuals to explore the phenotypic heterogeneity of CD8beta-chain expression on CD8(+) T lymphocytes and to clarify how its expression on CD8(+) T lymphocytes may relate to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) clinical progression. We showed that the single monoclonal antibody (MoAb) 2ST8-5H7, directed against the CD8alpha beta-heterodimer, identifies CD8(+) T lymphocytes as effectively as the conventional combination of anti-CD3 and anti-CD8alpha antibodies. However, we detected a significantly lower mean fluorescence (MF) of anti-CD8alpha beta staining on PBL from HIV-1 seropositive donors as compared with seronegative donors. In fact, CD8(+) T lymphocytes from HIV-1-infected individuals with the lowest CD4 counts showed the lowest levels of CD8alpha beta MF. To explore further this change in CD8alpha beta expression, we assessed the expression of 14 different cell surface molecules on CD8alpha beta+ T lymphocytes of PBL from 11 HIV-1 seronegative and 22 HIV-1 seropositive individuals. The MF of anti-CD8alpha beta staining was significantly reduced on CD8(+) T lymphocyte subsets that showed immunophenotypic evidence of activation. The subset of lymphocytes expressing low levels of CD8alpha beta expressed higher levels of activation, adhesion, and cytotoxic-associated molecules and was predominantly CD45RO+ and CD28(-). Finally, we monitored the expression of the CD8alpha beta-heterodimer on PBL of eight HIV-1-infected individuals over a 16-week period after the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), including zidovudine (ZDV), lamivudine (3TC), and indinavir (IDV), and found a significant increase in the expression of the CD8alpha beta-heterodimer. These results suggest that antibodies recognizing the CD8alpha beta-heterodimer are useful tools to specifically identify CD8(+) T lymphocytes. Moreover, the quantitative monitoring of CD8alpha beta expression allows the detection of discrete CD8(+) T lymphocyte subsets and may be useful for assessing the immune status of individuals infected with HIV-1.     

Mechanisms associated with defective TH1 cytokine production in HIV infection

Qualitative and quantitative changes in immune functions of different T-cell subsets associated with infection by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) were analyzed by flow cytometric assessment of intracytoplasmic cytokines. The T(H)1 cytokines, interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), were produced by both CD4 and CD8 T-cell subsets. When normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were activated in culture, both cytokines were produced predominantly by CD4 (CD4) cell and only a minor fraction of normal CD8 cells produced these cytokines. In the cultures of PBMC from HIV-1-infected individuals (HIV+PBMC), more HIV+CD8 cells produced IL-2 and IFN-gamma. Production of IFN-gamma by HIV+CD4 cells was markedly reduced, while IL-2nd tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production by HIV+CD4 remained relatively intact until the disease progressed further. Normal CD4 cells which were isolated by using a cell sorter, FACSCalibur was still able to produce IL-2 and TNF-alpha. But for full production of IFN-gamma, normal CD4 required some accessory cells, the identity of which could not yet be established.     

Demonstration of the Th1 to Th2 cytokine shift during the course of HIV-1 infection using cytoplasmic cytokine detection on single cell level by flow cytometry

OBJECTIVE: To characterize changes of Th1/Th2 cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) that occur during the course of HIV infection by cytoplasmic cytokine staining on single cell level. DESIGN AND METHODS: Mitogen-stimulated PBMC from 16 healthy donors, 18 HIV-1-infected individuals without AIDS and 14 patients with AIDS were stained intracellularly with fluorescein-labelled MAb against interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-10 and interferon (IFN)-gamma. Additionally, co-staining of CD4+ T-cell, CD8+ T-cell, natural killer (NK) cell, B-cell and monocytic markers was performed. Fluorescence staining was analysed by three-colour flow-cytometry. RESULTS: A reduced percentage of IL-2 and IFN-gamma (Th1 type)-producing cells among CD4+ T cells from HIV-1-infected individuals could be demonstrated. There was a continuous decrease of IFN-gamma-producing CD4+ T cells in the course of HIV infection and a dramatic reduction of IL-2-expressing cells among CD4+ T cells in patients with AIDS. In contrast to Th1 cytokines, the frequency of Th2 cytokine expressing cells among CD4+ T cells increased in HIV-infected individuals. The maximum frequency of IL-4-expressing cells among CD4+ T cells was seen in HIV-infected individuals without AIDS, whereas the rate of IL-10-producing cells was highest in patients with AIDS. In HIV-infected individuals no significant proportion of Th0 cells expressing both Th1 and Th2 cytokines was detectable. In CD8+ T cells the percentage of IL-2 was expressing cells decreased continuously accompanied by a strong increase of the frequency of IFN-gamma-producing cells. CONCLUSION: The decreased percentage of cells expressing IL-2 and IFN-gamma in conjunction with an increased proportion of IL-4- and IL-10-producing cells among the CD4+ T cells in HIV-1-infected individuals demonstrate a Th1 to Th2 cytokine shift in the course of HIV infection on a single cell level. There was no evidence of a Th1 to Th0 cytokine shift. In addition to the loss of CD4+ T cells in HIV infection, the qualitative changes of Th1/Th2 cytokine expression may serve as a marker for progressive failure of cell-mediated immunity.     

Factors secreted by human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-infected cells can enhance or inhibit replication of HIV-1 in HTLV-I-uninfected cells: implications for in vivo coinfection with HTLV-I and HIV-1

It remains controversial whether human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) coinfection leads to more rapid progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease in dually infected individuals. To investigate whether HTLV-I infection of certain cells can modulate HIV-1 infection of surrounding cells, primary CD4(+) T cells were treated with cell-free supernatants from HTLV-I-infected MT-2 cell cultures. The primary CD4+ T cells became resistant to macrophage (M)-tropic HIV-1 but highly susceptible to T cell (T)-tropic HIV-1. The CC chemokines RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha, and MIP-1beta in the MT-2 cell supernatants were identified as the major suppressive factors for M-tropic HIV-1 as well as the enhancers of T-tropic HIV-1 infection, whereas soluble Tax protein increased susceptibility to both M- and T-tropic HIV-1. The effect of Tax or CC chemokines on T-tropic HIV-1 was mediated, at least in part, by increasing HIV Env-mediated fusogenicity. Our data suggest that the net effect of HTLV-I coinfection in HIV-infected individuals favors the transition from M- to T-tropic HIV phenotype, which is generally indicative of progressive HIV disease.     

The theory and practice of health education applied to nursing: a bi-polar approach

Because CD1-restricted T cells lack CD4 but produce IFN-gamma in response to nonpeptide mycobacterial antigens, they could play a unique role in immunity to tuberculosis. We studied CD1-restricted T cells in the context of HIV infection by expanding CD4(-) T cell lines from 10 HIV-infected patients. Upon stimulation with Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen or upon exposure to macrophages infected with M. tuberculosis, these T cell lines proliferated, produced IFN-gamma, and showed cytolytic T cell (CTL) activity against macrophages pulsed with mycobacterial antigen, findings consistent with a protective role against M. tuberculosis. Anti-CD1b antibodies abrogated T cell proliferation, IFN-gamma production, and CTL activity, demonstrating that these T cells are CD1 restricted. IFN-gamma production in response to M. tuberculosis was enhanced by antitransforming growth factor-beta in 8/10 lines, and by IL-15 in 2/10 lines. IFN-gamma production was augmented in a nonantigen-specific manner by IL-12 in 4/8 lines. When live HIV was cocultured with CD1-restricted T cell lines, p24 antigen and proviral DNA were not detected, indicating that the T cells were not infectable with HIV. Vaccination strategies aimed at activation and expansion of M. tuberculosis-reactive CD1-restricted T cells in HIV-infected patients may constitute a novel means to provide protection against tuberculosis, while minimizing the risk of enhancing HIV replication through stimulation of CD4(+) cells.     

Factors affecting the immunogenicity and potency of tetanus toxoid: implications for the elimination of neonatal and non-neonatal tetanus as public health problems

The neutralizing activity of anti-V3 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and anti-HIV-1 immune sera was tested against HIV-1 laboratory strains and African primary isolates. Neutralization was investigated in Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures by means of two distinct viral titer reduction assays. In these assays, virus was detected by means of either p24 antigen measurement using ELISA or HIV provirus synthesis using PCR, respectively. Anti-V3 MAbs and anti-HIV-1 immune sera neutralized efficiently the homologous laboratory HIV-1 strains used for eliciting immune response but showed no neutralizing activity against most primary isolates. The two neutralization assays used provided similar results. However, a PCR-based assay circumvented the limitations due to low levels of virus replication. The mechanism of resistance of the primary isolates to neutralizing antibodies was complex and was not simply predicted by partial sequence determination of the epitopes. This points out the need for reliable neutralization assays of HIV-1 primary isolates in order to evaluate the role of humoral immunity during HIV-1 infection and for future vaccine strategies.     

Derivation of herpesvirus saimiri-transformed CD8+ T cell lines with noncytotoxic anti-HIV activity

Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS), strain 488-77, was used to derive continuously growing transformed human CD8+ T cell lines that can suppress HIV replication in CD4+ cells via the production of an antiviral factor(s). Transformed CD8+ cell lines were obtained by HVS infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells or purified CD8- T cells from HIV-infected or uninfected individuals. Suppression of primary or laboratory isolates of HIV was mediated by factor permeation of a transwell membrane or by cell-free culture supernatants. Suppressing and nonsuppressing cell lines were IL-2-dependent for good growth and showed a similar activated cell surface phenotype. The cell lines produced varying amounts of the cytokines IL-8, IL-10, TNF-alpha, TNF-beta, RANTES, MIP-1 alpha, and MIP-1 beta, but not IFN-alpha. No correlation was observed between the level of any of these cytokines and the presence or absence of antiviral activity in cell line culture supernatants. These cell lines have become an important resource for studying antiviral factors produced by CD8+ T cells from HIV-infected individuals.     

Megalomicin inhibits HIV-1 replication and interferes with gp160 processing

The inhibitory effects on HIV replication of megalomicin (MGM, an inhibitor of intra-Golgi vesicle transport, have been studied. In experiments at low multiplicity of infection on Jurkat and MT2 cell lines. MGM inhibited the production of p24 antigen, the formation of syncytia, and the induction of apoptosis at concentrations below 5 microM. Furthermore, PCR analysis of genomic DNA showed that, in the presence of MGM, HIV-1 had been eradicated from the culture. MGM also inhibited replication of primary isolates of HIV-1 in blood lymphoblasts and more importantly, at 1 microM, MGM inhibited depletion of CD4+ T cells in cultures of blood lymphocytes from seropositive patients. Finally, MGM inhibited the generation of infectious virions and the processing of the envelope protein precursor gp160 to its mature forms, resulting in the rapid degradation of gp 160. These data suggest that MGM induces a powerful inhibitory effect on HIV-1 replication at nontoxic concentrations by preventing the processing of HIV-1 gp160 envelope protein and the subsequent formation of infectious viral particles.     

Unintegrated circular HIV-1 DNA in the peripheral mononuclear cells of HIV-1-infected subjects: association with high levels of plasma HIV-1 RNA, rapid decline in CD4 count, and clinical progression to AIDS

We observed 36 HIV-infected patients to evaluate whether the presence of tandem 2-long terminal repeat circular unintegrated HIV-1 DNA (2-LTR) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) at baseline was associated with acceleration of HIV disease. Detection of 2-LTR at baseline correlated with high plasma HIV-1 RNA levels (p < .01), recovery of culturable HIV-1 from plasma (p = .02), and progression to AIDS during follow-up (p = .01). More patients with 2-LTR (68%) than without 2-LTR (31%) had a decline in CD4 levels of >50 cells/mm3 over the first 18 months of follow-up (p = .04), and the average annual CD4 decline was 35% in patients with 2-LTR compared with 16% in those without 2-LTR (p = 0.06). Detection of 2-LTR in PBMC at baseline was an independent predictor of high plasma HIV-1 RNA levels and subsequent CD4 cell decline in this cohort of patients with predominantly nonsyncytium-inducing (NSI) isolates at baseline. The presence of 2-LTR in PBMC appears to be reflective of ongoing HIV-1 replication, as measured by plasma HIV-1 RNA levels, and identifies persons at risk for immunologic and clinical decline.     

Infection of human primary renal epithelial cells with HIV-1 from children with HIV-associated nephropathy

Children affected with human immunodefficiency virus (HIV)-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) usually develop significant renal glomerular and tubular epithelial cell injury. The pathogenesis of these changes is not clearly understood. Human renal tubular epithelial cells (RTEc) do not express CD4 surface receptors, and it is not clear whether these cells can be infected by HIV-1. Certain strains of HIV-1, however, have been shown capable of infecting CD4-negative epithelial cell lines. We hypothesized that the inability of laboratory strains of HIV-1 to infect renal epithelial cells may be due to a limited tropism, as opposed to wild-type viruses derived from children with HIVAN, and that viruses derived from these children are capable of infecting RTEc from the same patient. Here, we have demonstrated that HIV-1 isolates from children with HIVAN can productively infect RTEc through a CD4 independent pathway, and that infected mononuclear cells can transfer the virus to human RTEc. Human RTEc sustained low levels of viral replication and HIV-1 inhibited the growth and survival of cultured human RTEc. Thus, HIV-1 may directly induce degenerative changes in RTEc of children with HIVAN. Infected macrophages may play a relevant role in this process by transferring viruses to RTEc.     

Identification and characterization of autoreactive T cell responses to bullous pemphigoid antigen 2 in patients and healthy controls

Antibodies against the extracellular domain of bullous pemphigoid antigen 2 (BPAG2) are thought to play a key role in the pathogenesis of bullous pemphigoid (BP), the most frequent autoimmune bullous disease of the skin. Autoreactive T cell responses to BPAG2 were investigated in 16 BP patients and 24 healthy controls by coculture of PBMC with two recombinant BPAG2 proteins (extracellular domain of BPAG2). Primary in vitro T cell responses to BPAG2 were observed in 10/12 BP patients expressing the BP-associated HLA-DQB1*0301 allele and 8/10 DQB1*0301 positive healthy individuals. DQB1*0301 also restricted three autoreactive T cell lines from two BP patients and a healthy donor. In contrast, PBMC from 14 normal patients carrying HLA class II alleles other than DQB1*0301 were not stimulated by BPAG2. Autoreactive BPAG2-specific CD4(+) T cell lines and clones from five BP patients produced both Th1 and Th2 cytokines, whereas three autoreactive T cell lines from three DQB1*0301 positive normal patients produced exclusively IFN-gamma. The absence of BPAG2-specific Th2 cells in healthy individuals strongly suggests that autoreactive Th2 responses to BPAG2 are restricted to BP patients and may thus be critical in the pathogenesis of BP.     

Dissociation of the CD4 and CXCR4 binding properties of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gp120 by deletion of the first putative alpha-helical conserved structure

To evaluate conserved structures of the surface gp120 subunit (SU) of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope in gp120-cell interactions, we designed and produced an HIV-1 IIIB (HXB2R) gp120 carrying a deletion of amino acids E61 to S85. This sequence corresponds to a highly conserved predicted amphipathic alpha-helical structure located in the gp120 C1 region. The resultant soluble mutant with a deleted alpha helix 1 (gp120 DeltaalphaHX1) exhibited a strong interaction with CXCR4, although CD4 binding was undetectable. The former interaction was specific since it inhibited the binding of the anti-CXCR4 monoclonal antibody (12G5), as well as SDF1alpha, the natural ligand of CXCR4. Additionally, the mutant gp120 was able to bind to CXCR4(+)/CD4(-) cells but not to CXCR4(-)/CD4(-) cells. Although efficiently expressed on cell surface, HIV envelope harboring the deleted gp120 DeltaalphaHX1 associated with wild-type transmembrane gp41 was unable to induce cell-to-cell fusion with HeLa CD4(+) cells. Nevertheless, the soluble gp120 DeltaalphaHX1 efficiently inhibited a single round of HIV-1 LAI infection in HeLa P4 cells, with a 50% inhibitory concentration of 100 nM. Our data demonstrate that interaction with the CXCR4 coreceptor was maintained in a SUgp120 HIV envelope lacking alphaHX1. Moreover, in the absence of CD4 binding, the interaction of gp120 DeltaalphaHX1 with CXCR4 was sufficient to inhibit HIV-1 infection.     

Production of HIV-1 by human B cells infected in vitro: characterization of an EBV genome-negative B cell line chronically synthetizing a low level of HIV-1 after infection

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has tropism for helper T lymphocytes and cells of the monocyte/ macrophage lineages. HIV-1 can also infect other cell types, including B cells. We show here that 10% of fresh circulating B cells from HIV-1-seronegative donors (i) express the CD4 receptor and CCR5 and CXCR4, two recently described coreceptors for HIV-1 and (ii) are permissive to HIV-1 with de novo proviral DNA integration following ex vivo infection by either SI (syncytium-inducing) or NSI (non-syncytium-inducing) isolates. To get further information on the interaction between HIV and B cells, the susceptibility of several EBV-positive or -negative B cell lines to infection by SI and NSI isolates was checked. Following infection of an EBV- CD4+ CXCR4+ CCR5- B cell line (DG75) by an SI HIV-1 isolate, we obtained a cell line which chronically produced low-level infectious HIV-1 for 2 years (HIV-DG75). Immunocytochemical data, combined with in situ PCR data, established that HIV-DG75 cells consist of at least three populations uninfected cells, infected virus-producing cells, and infected but nonproducing cells. Moreover, HIV-DG75 cells which express p24 antigen do not go into apoptosis, contrary to T lymphocytes. We infer from these results that B cells could constitute a reservoir of infectious virus in infected patients.     

Human lymphoblastoid CD4(+) T cells become permissive to macrophage-tropic strains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 after passage into severe combined immunodeficient mice through in vivo upregulation of CCR5: in vivo dynamics of CD4(+) T-cell differentiation in pathogenesis of AIDS

In this article, we show that passage in SCID mice rendered a human CD4(+) T-cell line (CEM cells) highly susceptible to infection by macrophage-tropic (M-tropic) strains and primary clinical isolates of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). This in vivo-acquired permissiveness of CEM cells was associated with the induction of a CD45RO+ phenotype as well as of some beta-chemokine receptors. Regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted chemokine entirely inhibited the ability of M-tropic HIV-1 strains to infect these cells. These findings may lead to new approaches in investigating in vivo the capacity of different HIV strains to exploit chemokine receptors in relation to the dynamics of the activation and/or differentiation state of human CD4(+) T cells.     

HLA compatibility requirements for CD8(+)-T-cell-mediated suppression of human immunodeficiency virus replication

CD8(+) T cells from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals can suppress HIV replication in cultured CD4(+) cells by a noncytotoxic mechanism. Efficient suppression of HIV replication (>90% reduction) does not require HLA class I or class II histocompatibility between the effector CD8(+) T cells and the infected target CD4(+) T cells. However, maximal control of HIV production occurs when the CD8(+) effector cells and CD4(+) target cells are syngeneic. In some cases, more than 20-fold fewer syngeneic CD8(+) T cells were required to achieve the same degree of HIV inhibition as HLA-mismatched CD8(+) T cells. The increased antiviral activity seen in the syngeneic setting did not map exclusively to either the HLA class I or class II locus. These findings suggest that genetic compatibility (potentially, but not necessarily, at the HLA class I and class II loci) regulates CD8(+) T-cell noncytotoxic antiviral activity against infected CD4(+) T cells.