title: Con A cytotoxicity: a model for the study of key signaling steps leading to lymphocyte apoptosis in AIDS?
abstract: Lymphocytes respond to mitogens, viruses and other activation agents with hydrogen peroxide or reactive oxygen bursts which may originate at or near the cell membrane. It has been shown that a very small increase in the ratio of Con A cells results in a rapid switchover from mitogenicity to cytotoxicity. It is hypothesized that the change from mitogenicity to cytotoxicity correlates with the strength and duration of the hydrogen peroxide or reactive oxygen bursts which in turn depends on the number of molecules of the activation agent bound per cell. This hypothesis is presented and discussed in the context of the apoptosis (programmed cell death) and pro-oxidant-antioxidant hypothesis of CD4+ T-cell and B-cell subpopulation depletion in AIDS.
authors.forename: O M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Pitts
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000473:pathology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000633:toxicity*; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000473:pathology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008459:Measles virus / Q000502:physiology; D008938:Mitosis; D008954:Models, Biological; D016877:Oxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D016877:Oxidants; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D003208:Concanavalin A; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide