title: Death of CD4(+) T-cell lines caused by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 does not depend on caspases or apoptosis.
abstract: A critical aspect of AIDS pathogenesis that remains unclear is the mechanism by which human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) induces death in CD4(+) T lymphocytes. A better understanding of the death process occurring in infected cells may provide valuable insight into the viral component responsible for cytopathicity. This would aid the design of preventive treatments against the rapid decline of CD4(+) T cells that results in AIDS. Previously, apoptotic cell death has been reported in HIV-1 infections in cultured T cells, and it has been suggested that this could affect both infected and uninfected cells. To evaluate the mechanism of this effect, we have studied HIV-1-induced cell death extensively by infecting several T-cell lines and assessing the level of apoptosis by using various biochemical and flow cytometric assays. Contrary to the prevailing view that apoptosis plays a prominent role in HIV-1-mediated T-cell death, we found that Jurkat and H9 cells dying from HIV-1 infection fail to exhibit the collective hallmarks of apoptosis. Among the parameters investigated, Annexin V display, caspase activity and cleavage of caspase substrates, TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling) signal, and APO2.7 display were detected at low to negligible levels. Neither peptide caspase inhibitors nor the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-x(L) or v-FLIP could prevent cell death in HIV-1-infected cultures. Furthermore, Jurkat cell lines deficient in RIP, caspase-8, or FADD were as susceptible as wild-type Jurkat cells to HIV-1 cytopathicity. These results suggest that the primary mode of cytopathicity by laboratory-adapted molecular clones of HIV-1 in cultured cell lines is not via apoptosis. Rather, cell death occurs most likely via a necrotic or lytic form of death independent of caspase activation in directly infected cells.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1892, USA.
authors.forename: Diane L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Bolton
authors.forename: Beom-Ik
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.forename: Eugenia A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Laura L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Lehnhoff
authors.forename: Felicita
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hornung
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lenardo
mesh_terms: D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones / Q000494:pharmacology; D017304:Annexin A5 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017209:Apoptosis; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D053181:Caspase 8; D053453:Caspase 9; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D020169:Caspases / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral / Q000187:drug effects; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000235:genetics; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000502:physiology; D051020:bcl-X Protein; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones; D017304:Annexin A5; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C494811:BCL2L1 protein, human; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D009842:Oligopeptides; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; C111711:RNAIII inhibiting peptide; D051020:bcl-X Protein; C096713:benzyloxycarbonylvalyl-alanyl-aspartyl fluoromethyl ketone; D019014:fas Receptor; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases; C084083:Fad7 protein, Arabidopsis; C505530:CASP8 protein, human; C506433:CASP9 protein, human; D053181:Caspase 8; D053453:Caspase 9; D020169:Caspases