Infected apoptotic cells can be used to promote antiviral responses.(Brief Article)

2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - T cells killed by HIV infection can be used to augment the bodies' immune response to the virus, researchers in the United States say.

"T-cell responses to X4 strains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) are considered important in controlling progression of HIV-1 infection," according to Dr. Xiao-Quing Zhao and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh and Immunex Corporation in Seattle.

Zhao and coworkers found that antigen-presenting cells loaded with infected, apoptotic lymphocytes were potent stimulators of antiviral T-cell activity.

The researchers loaded immature dendritic cells (DCs) with autologous, apoptotic lymphocytes infected with the X4-tropic IIIB strain of HIV. Loaded DCs were then matured using CD40 ligand, according to the report.

These modified DCs triggered significant levels of gamma interferon production from cytotoxic and helper T cells, study data showed. T cells did not respond to DCs that were directly infected with cell-free HIV.

Immune cells were also unresponsive when exposed to mature DCs loaded with infected necrotic cells instead of apoptotic cells (Induction of anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) CD8[superscript]+ and CD4[superscript]+ T-cell ...