Low concentrations of acid-soluble thiol (cysteine) in the blood plasma of HIV-1-infected patients.
Blood plasma samples from HIV-1-infected persons contain elevated glutamate concentrations up to 6-fold the normal level and relatively low concentrations of acid-soluble thiol (i.e. decreased cysteine concentrations). The intracellular glutathione concentration in peripheral blood-mononuclear cells (PBMC) and monocytes from HIV antibody-positive persons are also significantly decreased. Therapy with azidothymidine (AZT) causes a substantial recovery of the plasma thiol levels; but glutamate levels remain significantly elevated and intracellular glutathione levels remain low. Cell culture experiments with approximately physiological amino-acid concentrations revealed that variations of the extracellular cysteine concentration have a strong influence on the intracellular glutathione level and the rate of DNA synthesis [( 3H]thymidine incorporation) in T cell clones and human and murine lymphocyte preparations even in the presence of several-fold higher cystine and methionine concentrations. Cysteine cannot be replaced by a corresponding increase of the extracellular cystine or methionine concentration. These experiments suggest strongly that the low cysteine concentration in the plasma of HIV-infected persons may play a role in the pathogenetic mechanism of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
Eck
H P
HP
Institut für Immunologie und Genetik Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg.
Gmünder
H
H
Hartmann
M
M
Petzoldt
D
D
Daniel
V
V
Dröge
W
W
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003545:Cysteine / Q000097:blood*; D003553:Cystine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000097:blood; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism
D000596:Amino Acids; D003553:Cystine; D008715:Methionine; D005978:Glutathione; D003545:Cysteine; D013936:Thymidine