Naïve T Cells Are Maintained in the Periphery During the First3 Months of Acute HIV-1 Infection: Implications for Analysis of Thymus Function
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- 作者：Gregory D. Sempowski ; Charles B. Hicks ; Joseph J. Eron ; John A. Bartlett ; Laura P. Hale ; Guido Ferrari ; Lloyd J. Edwards ; Susan Fiscus and Barton F. Haynes
- 关键词：Naï ; ve T cells ; thymus ; acute HIV ; 1 infection
- 刊名：Journal of Clinical Immunology
- 出版年：2005
- 出版时间：September 2005
- 年：2005
- 卷：25
- 期：5
- 页码：462-472
- 全文大小：547 KB
文摘
A key determinant of T cell dynamics in HIV-1 infection is the status of thymic function. To date, most studies of the impact of HIV-1 on the thymus during early HIV-1 infection have been done in samples collected in the interval of 3–12 months after infection. In this study, we have probed the status of thymic function and peripheral naive T cells in patients with acute HIV-1 infection diagnosed 18–72 days after the onset of symptoms. We found that peripheral CD4 and CD8 T cell proliferation was initially elevated, then waned over time. The fall in T cell proliferation correlated with a reduction in HIV-1 viral RNA levels and a rise in peripheral blood CD4+ CD25+ T cells. In spite of elevated T cell proliferation early on in primary HIV-1 infection, levels of naive phenotype CD4 and CD8 T cells and T cell receptor excision circle positive cells (sjTREC+) remained constant. Taken together with the observation that T cell proliferation normally dilutes peripheral T cell episomal sjTREC levels, these data suggested that thymopoiesis contributes to maintenance of the naive T cell pool during the earliest stages of HIV-1 infection (18–72 days).