title: Antibodies against retroviral proteins and nuclear antigens in a subset of idiopathic CD4+ T lymphocytopenia patients.
abstract: Idiopathic CD4+ T lymphocytopenia (ICL) is an immunodeficiency syndrome characterized by severe depletion of CD4+ T lymphocytes, but in which human immunodeficiency virus cannot be detected. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (BPMCs) from an ICL patient were cocultured with HUT78 T-lymphoblastoid cells, and an acute cytopathic effect and formation of multinucleated cells were observed. A human intracisternal A-type retroviral particle designated HIAP-II was detected in cells surviving the acute cytopathic effect. Eight of 13 ICL patients in a blinded screen of a serological panel provided by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had serum antibodies that specifically reacted with HIAP-II associated proteins by Western immunoblotting. None of 19 control sera in the panel that were unreactive with HIV Gag proteins produced a positive result on HIAP-II immunoblots. Comparable results were obtained in a blinded screen of a second CDC serological panel. Sera from 8 of 14 ICL patients in the second serological panel were positive for antinuclear autoantibodies (ANAs) commonly observed in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases. These results suggest the possible involvement of an A-type retrovirus or autoimmunity in development of ICL in a subset of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Garry
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Fermin
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Kohler
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Markert
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D018344:T-Lymphocytopenia, Idiopathic CD4-Positive / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D014771:Virion / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D001324:Autoantigens; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins