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Random depletion of T cells that bear specific T cell receptor Vβ sequences in AIDS patients
Author(s) -
BoldtHoule Deborah M.,
Rinaldo Charles R.,
Ehrlich Garth D.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of leukocyte biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.819
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1938-3673
pISSN - 0741-5400
DOI - 10.1002/jlb.54.5.486
Subject(s) - biology , receptor , microbiology and biotechnology , virology , immunology , genetics
Abstract A cross‐sectional PCR analysis of the TCR Vβ repertoires in HIV‐1 seronegative controls and HIV‐1 infected individuals with either clinically or immunologically defined AIDS [1] was performed to examine the proposed superantigen model for HIV‐1 pathogenesis. In contrast to previous reports, we find neither uniform specific losses nor uniform clonal expansions of particular TCR Vβ gene families in subjects with AIDS. Instead our study, which was designed specifically to qualitatively determine the presence or absence of TCR Vβ families in both subject populations, indicates an overall diminution in the expression of TCR Vβ gene families in HIV‐1 infected individuals with AIDS compared with controls. This is commensurate with the decrease in CD4 T cells in the AIDS population. Our data are therefore not directly suggestive of a common superantigen model of HIV‐1 induced T cell clonal depletion or anergy, but instead emphasize a broad decrease in signals throughout the TCR Vβ repertoire in AIDS versus control groups. This random depletion in the TCR Vβ repertoire is most likely caused by aspects of HIV‐1 pathogenesis other than virus‐ encoded superantigens.