title: The impaired number of circulating granulocyte/macrophage progenitors (CFU-GM) in human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 infected subjects correlates with an active HIV-1 replication.
abstract: In this paper we investigated the role played by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in the pathogenesis of peripheral blood (PB) cytopenias of AIDS patients. The in vitro growth of PB granulocyte/macrophage progenitors (CFU-GM) was investigated in 45 HIV-1 seropositive (+) individuals at different stages of the disease. The number of circulating CFU-GM was significantly (p < 0.01) lower in AIDS patients (stages WR V-VI) than in HIV-1(+) asymptomatic individuals (stages WR I-II). Moreover, the presence of gag p 24 in the plasma and/or viral isolation from PB mononuclear cells of HIV-1(+) individuals was inversely correlated (p < 0.01) with the number of circulating CFU-GM, irrespectively with the stage of the disease. Viral isolates obtained from one asymptomatic and four symptomatic HIV-1(+) individuals were tested on the in vitro growth of normal hematopoietic progenitor (CD34+) cells, purified from PB of healthy donors. All the different viral isolates showed a dose-dependent inhibition of CD34+ cells, in the absence of either productive or latent infection. This suppressive effect was completely reversed by preincubating the different viral isolates with a polyclonal anti-gp 120 antibody before adding to normal CD34+ cells. These findings suggest a direct involvement of active viral replication products in the progressive impairment of hematopoiesis, characteristic of HIV-1(+) individuals in spite of the lack of a productive or latent infection of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Re
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zauli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Furlini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ranieri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monari
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ramazzotti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: La Placa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD; D018952:Antigens, CD34; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D005260:Female; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000097:blood; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D018952:Antigens, CD34; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120