title: Apoptosis and CD4+ lymphocyte depletion following feline immunodeficiency virus infection of a T-lymphocyte cell line.
abstract: An interleukin-2-dependent feline T-lymphocyte cell line (FCD4-D), of which 65% of cells express CD4, was inoculated with the NCSU-1 isolate of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV(NCSU-1)) and subsequently monitored for percentage of viable cells, percentage of apoptotic cells, percentage of CD4-expressing cells, and virus production. A decrease in viability from 91% to 12% over an 11-day postinoculation period was associated with an increase in the percentage of cells with nuclear morphology suggestive of apoptosis from < 5% to 97% based on ethidium bromide and acridine orange fluorescence. These changes were associated with a 24% reduction in the percentage of viable CD4-expressing cells at 7 days postinoculation. The relative amount of low-molecular-weight nuclear DNA was greater in FIV-infected cultures than in uninfected cultures from day 7 to day 15 postinoculation. This DNA was characterized by cleavage into fragments differing in size by approximately 180 base pairs. Ultrastructurally, nuclear chromatin and cytoplasm were condensed into discrete electron-dense bodies, and cell membrane projections were lost. Syncytia were occasionally present in FIV-inoculated cultures. Cytologic changes were associated with a logarithmic rise in Mg+2-dependent reverse transcriptase levels in culture supernatants on days 4-7 postinoculation. Supplementation of FIV-inoculated culture medium with 1 mM ZnCl2 enhanced viability, decreased the percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis, and prevented the loss of CD4+ lymphocytes at 7 days postinoculation. These data suggest that feline CD4+ lymphocytes die by apoptosis following in vitro infection with FIV(NCSU-1). The feline/FIV model may be a suitable system to investigate the mechanisms of lentivirus-associated CD4+ lymphocyte depletion in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Benson
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Papadi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D002415:Cats; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D002712:Chlorides / Q000494:pharmacology; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016181:Feline Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000201:enzymology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000662:veterinary; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002712:Chlorides; D017967:Zinc Compounds; C016837:zinc chloride; D004247:DNA; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase