title: HIV-1 replication and gene expression occur at higher levels in neonatal blood naive and memory T-lymphocytes compared with adult blood cells.
abstract: Our previous study has shown that HIV-1 replicated at higher levels in neonatal (cord) blood monocytes/macrophages and T-lymphocytes compared with adult blood cells. However, it is not known whether this differential HIV-1 replication also occurs in naive and/or memory T-lymphocytes. We, therefore, compared HIV-1 replication in CD3(+) and CD4(+) naive (CD45RA(+)) and memory (CD45RO(+)) T-lymphocytes isolated from five cord and adult blood donors. We found that HIV-1 replicated at higher levels in both CD3(+) and CD4(+) CD45RA(+) and CD45RO(+) T-lymphocytes isolated from cord blood compared with adult blood. In addition, there was no difference in the cell surface expression of CD4, CXCR4 and CCR5 on cord blood CD45RA(+) and CD45RO(+) T-lymphocytes compared with adult blood cells. Furthermore, we found that there was an increase in HIV-1 gene expression in cord blood CD45RA(+) and CD45RO(+) T-lymphocytes compared with adult blood cells by using a single-cycle replication competent HIV-1-NL4-3-Env(-)R(+) luciferase amphotropic virus, which measures HIV-1 transcriptional activity independent of CD4 and CXCR4 or CCR5 expression. In summary, HIV-1 replicated at higher levels in cord blood CD45RA(+) and CD45RO(+) T-lymphocytes compared with adult blood cells and this differential replication is influenced at the level of HIV-1 gene expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunobiology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA. nafees@u.arizona.edu
authors.forename: Nafees
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.forename: Roshni
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: David T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D001782:Blood Donors; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D014779:Virus Replication