GM-CSF production by CD4+ T-lymphocytes is selectively impaired during the course of HIV-1 infection. A possible indication of a preferential lesion of a specific subset of peripheral blood CD4+ T-lymphocytes.
The production of granulocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were evaluated in the supernatants of short-term cultures of purified CD4+ T-lymphocytes and enriched monocytes obtained from peripheral blood (PB) of 35 HIV-1 seropositive (+) asymptomatic individuals, stages I-II of the Walter Reed (WR) classification, 15 HIV (+) symptomatic patients (WR V-VI) and 40 HIV-1 seronegative normal blood donors. IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha production by either enriched monocytes or isolated CD4+ T-cells, was similar in HIV-1 (+) asymptomatic, symptomatic subjects and normal controls. GM-CSF level in enriched monocyte culture supernatants did not show any significant difference in the three groups of subjects under investigation. On the other hand, GM-CSF production by isolated CD4+ T-lymphocytes was two-fold decreased in HIV-1 (+) asymptomatic subjects and five-fold decreased in HIV-1 (+) symptomatic patients with respect to normal blood donors. The decline in GM-CSF production was clearly correlated with viral isolation from patient's PB light density mononuclear cells (r = -0.920, p less than 0.01). The selective and progressive decline in GM-CSF production by CD4+ T-lymphocytes, starting from early stages of HIV-1 infection, suggest a preferential lesion of a specific subset of CD4+ T-lymphocytes characterized by an intense production of GM-CSF and may contribute to explain the deranged inflammatory and immune responses which characterize the course of HIV-1 infection.
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M C
MC
Institute of Microbiology, University of Bologna, Italy.
Zauli
G
G
Furlini
G
G
Giovannini
M
M
Ranieri
S
S
Ramazzotti
E
E
Vignoli
M
M
La Placa
M
M
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
D007375:Interleukin-1; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor