HIV infection rapidly induces and maintains a substantial suppression of thymocyte proliferation.
Immunity
; 21(6): 757-68, 2004 Dec.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-15589165
ABSTRACT
The supply of naive T cells by the thymus normally requires precursor T cell proliferation within the thymus and would be particularly important in the setting of HIV infection when both naive and memory T cells are progressively depleted. As a robust, quantitative index of intrathymic proliferation, the ratio of different T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs), molecular markers of distinct T cell receptor rearrangements occurring at different stages of thymocyte development, was measured in peripheral blood-mononuclear cells (PBMCs). This ratio has the virtue that it is a "signature" of thymic emigrants throughout their entire life and, thus, can be measured in peripheral cell populations that are easy to obtain. Using the new assay, we evaluated the effect of HIV infection on intrathymic precursor T cell proliferation by longitudinal analysis of PBMCs from recently infected individuals. Our findings reveal a substantial reduction in intrathymic proliferation. The analysis also indicates the existence of a compensatory mechanism acting to sustain the numbers of recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) in the periphery.
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Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Timo
/
Linfocitos T
/
Infecciones por VIH
Tipo de estudio:
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Immunity
Asunto de la revista:
ALERGIA E IMUNOLOGIA
Año:
2004
Tipo del documento:
Article