[Activation of cell death in lymphocytes from individuals infected with HIV].
BACKGROUND
In HIV infection, T cells depletion cannot only be explained by direct viral infection. Programmed cell death (PCD), also know as apoptosis or activation-induced cell death, may be responsible for the deletion of reactive T cells that contributes to HIV induced immunodeficiency. We studied the response of lymphocytes in vitro to different polyclonal and oligoclonal (superantigen) activators, and tested whether the stimulation of T cells from individual with HIV infection lead to cell death.


METHODS
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells, total T lymphocytes, TCD4+ and TCD8+ cells from 10 positive patients, 2 patients with AIDS and 10 negative individual for the virus were cultured in RPMI medium and subjected to stimulation with PHA, PWM and SEB (staphylococcus B enterotoxin). Trypan blue was used to distinguish viable from dead cells.


RESULTS
TCD4+ cells from HIV-infected patients die after SEB or PWM activation (almost 40% from asymptomatic and 80% from AIDS), and do not die TCD8+ from the same individuals (around 10-15%), or T cells from seronegative controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Lymphocytes from patients with HIV-infection showed as abnormal proliferative response to self-MHC class II restricted recall antigens and PWM whereas the response to PHA was conserved. Probably, apoptosis is triggered by an aberrant form of T cell activation in the mature TCD4+ cell population in HIV-infected individuals.
Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Granada.
E
E
Quirós
M J
MJ
López-Cañabare
A
A
Quirós
G
G
Piédrola
M C
MC
Maroto
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology; D017209:Apoptosis; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular
Activación de la muerte celular en linfocitos de individuos infectados por el HIV.