Human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected individuals make autoantibodies that bind to CD43 on normal thymic lymphocytes.
Sera from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected and -noninfected individuals were screened for antibodies that could bind to native T cell differentiation antigens. Antibodies that could immunoprecipitate CD43 (sialophorin, leukosialin) from a T cell lymphoma line were detected in sera from 27% of patients, and antibodies that could bind specifically to transfected cells expressing CD43 were detected in 47% of patients. The anti-CD43 antibodies were related to HIV-1 infection in that no patients with other chronic viral infections or systemic lupus erythematosus contained such antibodies in their sera. The anti-CD43 autoantibodies bound to a partially sialylated form of CD43 expressed by normal human thymocytes, but not by normal, circulating T lymphocytes. However, the determinant(s) recognized by the anti-CD43 autoantibodies was present on a large proportion of circulating T lymphocytes, but masked from antibody recognition by sialic acid residues. These results demonstrate that HIV-1 infection is specifically associated with the production of autoantibodies that bind to a native T cell surface antigen.
Ardman
B
B
Department of Medicine, New England Medical Center Hospitals, Boston, Massachusetts 02111.
Sikorski
M A
MA
Settles
M
M
Staunton
D E
DE
D015703:Antigens, CD; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D051917:Leukosialin; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D015703:Antigens, CD; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001323:Autoantibodies; D051917:Leukosialin; C465014:SPN protein, human; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins