title: Overexpression of monosialoganglioside GM3 on lymphocyte plasma membrane in patients with HIV infection.
abstract: This study was undertaken to analyze both the GM3 expression on peripheral blood lymphocytes of HIV-infected patients and the relationship between ganglioside content and anti-GM3 reactivity. GM3 expression was determined as a percentage of lipid-bound sialic acid and by cytofluorimetric analysis in 25 AIDS patients, 20 anti-HIV+ asymptomatic subjects, 25 patients with different viral disease, and 25 healthy donors. GM3 distribution was analyzed by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. A follow-up study to detect anti-lymphocytic GM3 antibodies was performed in progressive and nonprogressive anti-HIV+ subjects. Lymphocytes from HIV-infected patients showed a significant increase of plasma membrane GM3 content; no difference was found between CD4+ and CD8+ cells. Immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopic analysis showed that GM3 was distributed in large clusters over the cell plasma membrane. The follow-up study revealed that the occurrence of anti-lymphocytic GM3 antibodies was significantly higher in patients with progressive disease, compared with asymptomatic non-progressive subjects. These findings revealed that (1) the increased GM3 content in HIV-infected patients is detected at the plasma membrane level, (2) GM3 overexpression is able to induce an increased reactivity with anti-GM3 antibodies, and (3) the appearance of anti-lymphocytic GM3 antibodies in asymptomatic anti-HIV+ subjects could have prognostic relevance for the risk of developing AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Patologia, Universita di Roma "La Sapienza," Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sorice
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Garofalo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sansolini
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Griggi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Circella
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Massetti
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tai
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pavan
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005679:G(M3) Ganglioside / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001323:Autoantibodies; D005679:G(M3) Ganglioside