title: Selective increase of activation antigens HLA-DR and CD38 on CD4+ CD45RO+ T lymphocytes during HIV-1 infection.
abstract: Infection with HIV results in a progressive depletion of CD4+ T cells and leads to significant in vivo lymphocyte phenotype changes. In this regard, the expression of HLA-DR and CD38 on CD8+ T cells has been shown to increase dramatically with disease progression. We investigated the expression of both activation markers on CD4+ T cells in HIV-1-infected subjects at different clinical stages of infection and compared the in vivo activation of CD4+ T cells with parameters of viral activity and CD8+ T cell activation. Fresh peripheral venous blood was obtained from 54 HIV-infected subjects and from 28 uninfected healthy controls. Three-colour immunophenotyping of the CD4+ T cell subset showed that the proportion of CD4+ T cells expressing HLA-DR (10% in HIV-negative controls) or CD38 (62% in HIV-negative controls) was higher in asymptomatic (P < 0.05 for CD38) and symptomatic (P < 0.001 for HLA-DR and CD38) HIV-infected subjects than in controls, whereas the proportion of CD4+ T cells expressing CD45RO (54% in controls) remained relatively unchanged. Simultaneous expression of HLA-DR and CD38 on CD4+ T cells increased from 2.3% in controls to 11% (P < 0.001) in asymptomatic and 22% (P < 0.001) in symptomatic HIV-infected subjects. This relative increase of CD38 and HLA-DR expression occurred mainly on CD4+ T cells co-expressing CD45RO. Changes in expression of HLA-DR and CD38 on CD4+ T cells correlated with similar changes on CD8+ T lymphocytes, with the presence of HIV antigen in the circulation, and with the disease stage of HIV infection.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pathology & Immunology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerpen, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kestens
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vanham
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vereecken
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vandenbruaene
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vercauteren
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Colebunders
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Gigase
mesh_terms: D036541:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase; D051997:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1; D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000032:analysis*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens; D036541:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase; C498154:CD38 protein, human; D051997:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1