Evidence of B cell clonal expansion in HIV type 1-infected patients.
HIV-1 infection results in a gradual decrease in CD4(+) T cell counts and progressive immune deficiency. Increased T cell turnover in HIV-1-infected patients, which can be interpreted as T cell clonal expansion, has been thought to be relevant to its pathogenesis. To investigate whether B cell clonal expansion also occurs in HIV-1-infected patients, we examined the expressed V(H)DJ(H) gene sequences of peripheral B cells in HIV-1-infected patients with hypergammaglobulinemia. Identical V(H)DJ(H) gene rearrangements with additional nucleotide differences in V(H) genes were analyzed as a marker of clonally related B cells. From healthy individuals and HIV-1-uninfected patients with hypergammaglobulinemia, clonally related B cells were detected in none of 10 (0%) and 2 of 10 (20%), respectively. No clonally related B cells were detected in any of the nine HIV-1-infected patients with detectable viral loads and normal Ig levels (0%). In contrast, from 9 of 14 HIV-1-infected patients with hypergammaglobulinemia (64%), clonally related B cells were detected. In addition, no HIV-1-infected patients who exhibited normal Ig levels after antiretroviral therapy had clonally related B cells. These findings suggest that B cell clonal expansion is present in HIV-1-infected patients with hypergammaglobulinemia.
Chong
Y
Y
Department of Environmental Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.
Ikematsu
H
H
Ariyama
I
I
Chijiwa
K
K
Li
W
W
Yamaji
K
K
Kashiwagi
S
S
Hayashi
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D005260:Female; D015322:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin / Q000235:genetics; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D006942:Hypergammaglobulinemia / Q000276:immunology*; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains