Haemopoietic CD34+ progenitor cells are not infected by HIV-1 in vivo but show impaired clonogenesis.
We evaluated the role of CD34+ bone marrow progenitor cells in vivo, in the pathogenesis of AIDS-related haematological abnormalities. The clonogenic activity of CD34+ cells from seven patients with HIV-1 infection, without bone marrow involving opportunistic infections or neoplasms, was assessed in semisolid cultures. The number of CFU-GM was significantly reduced as compared to the controls (P = 0.017), independently from myelotoxic therapy, while the number of BFU-E was not. The presence of retroviral sequences in CFU-GM colonies from four patients and in the total population of CD34+ cells from six patients with advanced stage HIV infection was investigated using the polymerase chain reaction. The presence of HIV-1 sequences was also searched for in a purified suspension of CD34+ cells after 3 weeks liquid culture. All these cells were always HIV-1 negative, while viral sequences were always detected in bone marrow mononuclear cells from these and other patients. The number of HIV-1 DNA copies decreased with increasing enrichment. At most 1:10,000 CD34+ cells are infected in vivo. Other mechanisms than direct viral infection of progenitor cells must account for the defective haemopoiesis in HIV-1 infected patients.
De Luca
A
A
Istituti di Clinica delle Malattie Infettive, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italy.
Teofili
L
L
Antinori
A
A
Iovino
M S
MS
Mencarini
P
P
Visconti
E
E
Tamburrini
E
E
Leone
G
G
Ortona
L
L
D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis*; D018952:Antigens, CD34; D001483:Base Sequence; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D015703:Antigens, CD; D018952:Antigens, CD34; D004279:DNA, Viral