title: Presence of IgM antibodies which sensitize HIV-1-infected cells to cytolysis by homologous complement in long-term survivors of HIV infection.
abstract: Although human cells are resistant to homologous human complement due to the presence of species-specific membrane inhibitors, a naturally occurring IgM antibody which recognizes an asialo-oligosaccharide can sensitize HIV-1-infected cells for complement-mediated cytolysis. Therefore, we investigated whether long-term survivors of HIV-1 infection harbor such antibodies in their sera. Thirty of 31 sera from HIV-1 seropositive hemophilia patients who have survived HIV-1 infection 10 years or more showed appreciable cytolytic activity, while only 2 sera of 10 seropositive patients presumed to have been infected with HIV-1 (due to sexual contact) more recently showed cytolytic activity. On the other hand, only 7 out of 43 sera from seronegative hemophilia patients showed cytolytic activity. Immunofluorescence staining for IgM on HIV-1-infected cells essentially correlated with the cytolytic capacity of the sera. Therefore, naturally occurring IgM antibodies and/or generated IgM antibodies reactive with the HIV-1-infected cells in patients might have been responsible for long-term survival due to complement-mediated immune cytolysis which may, in conjunction with cytotoxic T lymphocytes, synergistically suppress the infected cells in vivo. Therefore, the transfusion of such IgM antibodies could be effective for the treatment of HIV-1-infected individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Nagoya City University School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okada
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017741:Survivors
chemical_list: D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D003165:Complement System Proteins