Lymphocyte Membrane Modifications Induced by HIV Infection

Abstract

Kashiwagi, N., Gill, M.J., Adachi, M., Church, D., Wong, S.J., Poon, M.-C., Hakomori, S., Tamaoki, T. and Shiozawa, C. Lymphocyte Membrane Modifications Induced by HIV Infection. Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1994, 173 (1), 115-131―― Novel carbohydrate antigen expressions were observed on T lymphocytes from HIV infected patients using flowcytometric analysis with four mAbs; BM-1, ACFH-18, FH-2 and C-6. These carbohydrate antigens were also expressed on oncogenic transformed cells but were either not expressed or were weakly expressed in lymphocyte populations from healthy subjects. A dramatic change in glycosylation was induced on CD8+T cells from HIV infected patients. The glycosylation change correlated with the progression of the disease. The incidence of Ley antigen expression on CD8+T cells increased as the disease progressed with the ongoing impairment of immune function. The phenotype change that occurred with Ley antigen expression might reflect the abnormal activation of T lymphocytes of some specific, but unknown, population of CD8+T cells. Thus, carbohydrate changes on the cell surface may induce immunological abnormality and accelerate the damage within the CD4+T cell subset, resulting in an impairment of the antigen specific immune system.―――human immunodeficiency virus; carbohybrate antigen; T lymphocytes; monoclonal antibodies; Ley antigen. © 1994, Tohoku University Medical Press. All rights reserved.