Which cells does HIV infect?

[Immunobiology Research Institute, Siena]

Christopher Savoie (savoie at bioreg.kyushu-u.ac.jp) wrote:

:  
: > There is no evidence that I know of showing direct CD8 infectivity.  
: > CD4+8+ thymocytes can be infected but once they become single positive
: > they are presumably resistant.


Couple of years ago Robert Gallo's group reported that normal CD8+ T cells can be 
made susceptible to infection with HIV-1 if they are first infected with human 
herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), which induces de novo expression of CD4 in CD8+ T cells. 
(In fact HHV-6 has been proposed as a potential cofactor in AIDS). Whether this 
infection is responsible for the defects observed in the CD8+ T cells in patients 
with advanced HIV infection was not answered. 
Ref: Nature 1991, 349:533

Derya 

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Derya Unutmaz, M.D.
Immunobiology Research Institute
Via Fiorentina 1,
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E-mail: Unutmaz at iris02.biocine.it
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