title: Immune responses to fractionated cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens after HIV infection. Loss of cellular and humoral reactivity to antigens recognized by HIV-, CMV+ individuals.
abstract: In order to delineate the molecular pathogenesis of the increased susceptibility to CMV disease in HIV infection, the patterns of antigen responsiveness in HIV-infected and non-infected individuals were investigated. CMV was fractionated by SDS-PAGE and electroblotted onto nitrocellulose. Lymphoproliferative responses of healthy HIV-, CMV+ individuals and HIV+, CMV+ asymptomatic patients to a whole CMV antigen preparation and to 20 fractions of nitrocellulose-bound CMV were then compared. Three fractions of approximate molecular weight of 130-165, 65-75, and 55-65 kD appeared to contain the major T cell stimulating antigens for HIV-, CMV+ individuals. A statistically significant depression of responses to fractions containing antigens in the ranges of 130-165 kD and 55-65 kD but not to whole CMV was seen in HIV+ individuals compared with controls. In healthy controls, the sum of the proliferative responses as measured by 3H-thymidine uptake to these three major fractions was approximately equal to the response to a whole CMV antigen preparation, whereas it was less than half of this response in five out of six HIV+ subjects. When antibody activities to CMV antigens were analysed by immunoblotting of sera from the two subject groups and also sera of ARC and AIDS patients, a selective loss of reactivity was revealed in 10 out of 19 HIV+ subjects to a band of 26-28 kD whereas all 15 HIV-, CMV+ controls recognized this band. Serum IgG and IgM values were both significantly higher in HIV+ individuals than in controls. These findings suggest that specific lesions in the repertoire of immune responsiveness to CMV antigens occur in HIV+ individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Roslagstull Hospital, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Converse
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Fehniger
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ehrnst
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Strannegård
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Britton
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000917:Antibody Formation; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M