Evidence for an in vivo superantigenic activity in human immunodeficiency
virus-infected individuals
S Garcia, G Dadaglio, V Cilote, H Chenal, A Bondurand and ML Gougeon
Department SIDA et Retrovirus, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
In a previous study, we reported the existence of a specific anergy
affecting selectively the V beta 8 subset in both CD4 and CD8 T cells from
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons. Because this
observation gives evidence for a previous in vivo activation of this subset
by a superantigen, we further characterize, in the present study, this V
beta 8-anergy associated with HIV infection. Molecular T cell receptor
analysis indicates that the V beta 8-anergized T cells are polyclonal.
Furthermore, we show the dependence of this anergy on the expression of
allelic forms of HLA class II DRB1 molecules. These observations explain
the frequency of anergic persons among HIV- infected donors (56%) and are
consistent with a previous in vivo superantigenic activity. Comparative
analyses of disease evolution between V beta 8 responder and anergic
persons do not show any clear relation between the V beta 8 status and
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome pathogenesis. However, the stability of
the V beta 8 status, the absence of correlation with previous microbial
infections, and the previously reported precocity of V beta 8 anergization
are in favor of a strong association between the in vivo existence of a V
beta 8- specific superantigen and HIV infection. Finally, the functional
dichotomy we observe for all anergized donors between blood and lymph node
T cells raises the question of the in vivo localization of the
superantigenic activity.
Volume 88,
Issue 6,
pp. 2151-2161,
09/15/1996
Copyright © 1996 by The American Society of Hematology
