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NK-associated receptors on CD8 T cells from treatment-naive HIV-infected individuals: defective expression of CD56

2002; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 16; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1097/00002030-200201250-00008

1473-5571

Raquel Tarazona, Olga DelaRosa, Javier G. Casado, Julián Torre‐Cisneros, José Luis Villanueva‐Cañas, M.D. Galiani, José D. Torres‐Peña, Rafael Solana,

T-cell and B-cell Immunology

Objectives This study addresses the detailed expression of natural killer (NK)- associated receptors on CD8 T lymphocytes in treatment-naive HIV-infected individuals. Design Experimental study analysing the expression of NK-associated receptors on peripheral blood T lymphocytes from HIV-infected individuals compared with healthy controls. Methods Flow cytometry was used to analyse the expression of CD56, CD16, CD94, NKG2A, NKB1, CD161, CD244, and perforin, according to the CD28 phenotype, on CD8bright T cells obtained from treatment-naive HIV-infected individuals and from healthy controls. Results The results showed that CD8bright T cells from treatment-naive HIV-infected individuals had a decreased expression of CD56 and that CD8brightCD56 cell numbers correlated with CD4 cell counts. NK-associated markers were preferentially expressed on CD8brightCD28 negative T cells, both in healthy controls and HIV-infected individuals. An increased expression of CD94, CD244, and perforin, which was the consequence of the expansion of the CD8brightCD28 negative T-cell subset, was also observed in HIV infection. Conclusions As the CD8brightCD56 T cells are the mature cytolytic effector cells, the defective expression of CD56 on CD8bright T cells shown in HIV-infected individuals could be involved in the decreased peripheral blood T-cell cytotoxicity found in HIV infection.