title: Cytokine signals are sufficient for HIV-1 infection of resting human T lymphocytes.
abstract: Lentiviral vectors have been advocated to be effective vehicles for the delivery and stable expression of genes in nondividing primary cells. However, certain cell types, such as resting T lymphocytes, are resistant to infection with HIV-1. Establishing parameters for stable gene delivery into primary human lymphocytes and approaches to overcome the resistance of resting T cells to HIV infection may permit potential gene therapy applications, genetic studies of primary cells in vitro, and a better understanding of the stages of the lentiviral life cycle. Here we demonstrate that an HIV-1-derived vector can be used for stable delivery of genes into activated human T cells as well as natural killer and dendritic cells. Remarkably, a sizeable fraction of resting T cells was stably transduced with the HIV-1 vector when cultured with the cytokine interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-7, or IL-15, or, at a lower level, with IL-6, in the absence of any other stimuli. Resting T cells stimulated with these cytokines could also be infected with replication-competent HIV-1. To test the utility of this system for performing structure-function analysis in primary T cells, we introduced wild-type as well as a mutant form of murine CD28 into human T cells and showed a requirement for the CD28 cytoplasmic domain in costimulatory signaling. The ability to stably express genes of interest in primary T cells will be a valuable tool for genetic and structure-function studies that previously have been limited to transformed cell lines. In addition, the finding that cytokine signals are sufficient to permit transduction of resting T cells with HIV may be relevant for understanding mechanism of HIV-1 transmission and pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Pathogenesis Program, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University Medical Center, New York, USA. unutmaz@saturn.med.nyu.edu
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Unutmaz
authors.forename: V N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: KewalRamani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marmon
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Littman
mesh_terms: D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D007399:Interphase; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D014161:Transduction, Genetic
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines