title: Cryptic dysfunction of cellular immunity in asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) carriers and its actualization by an environmental immunosuppressive factor.
abstract: Peripheral blood lymphocytes from 4 asymptomatic HIV-1 carriers with normally retained EBV-specific cytotoxic T-cell activity were exposed to EBV and incubated with 0.2 ng/ml 4-deoxyphorbol ester, an immunosuppressive substance derived from an African plant Euphorbia tirucalli. The regression of EBV-induced B-cell transformation by EBV-specific cytotoxic T-cells was significantly impaired in the presence of a small amount of 4-deoxyphorbol ester, but not so in 5 HIV-1-seronegative healthy counterparts. When the EBV-specific cytotoxic T-cells from the asymptomatic carriers were exposed to 0.2ng/ml 4-deoxyphorbol ester and incubated with 51Cr-labeled autologous EBV-transformed B lymphocytes, the released radioactivity was significantly smaller than that of the healthy counterparts. The results suggest that the cellular immunity of the asymptomatic HIV-1 carriers is cryptically impaired, and the cryptic immunological dysfunction is actualized by exposure to a small amount of the immunosuppressive substance, a dose which does not affect the immunity of uninfected healthy individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugiura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakurada
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Osato
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002353:Carrier State; D002460:Cell Line; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010703:Phorbol Esters / Q000494:pharmacology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D010703:Phorbol Esters