title: Immune activation is associated with CD8 T cell interleukin-21 production in HIV-1-infected individuals.
abstract: Interleukin-21 (IL-21) can be produced by CD8 T cells from HIV-1-infected individuals and those with autoimmune disease, but the mechanism remains poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that IL-21-producing CD8 T cells are not associated with CD4 depletion and are absent in patients with idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia. Instead, IL-21 production by CD8 T cells was associated with high levels of activation, suggesting that these cells emerge as a consequence of excessive chronic immune activation rather than CD4 lymphopenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: LaTonya D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Nilesh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Amatya
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Anju
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bansal
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Steffanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sabbaj
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Sonya L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Heath
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Irini
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sereti
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA paulg@uab.edu.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Goepfert
mesh_terms: D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D000098546:Interleukin-21
chemical_list: D007378:Interleukins; D000098546:Interleukin-21