In vivo T lymphocyte origin of macrophage-tropic strains of HIV. Role of monocytes during in vitro isolation and in vivo infection

J Immunol. 1990 Jun 15;144(12):4628-32.

Abstract

Previously published isolation techniques with T cell blasts and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) were used to recover HIV from the PBMC of a group of 23 asymptomatic seropositive individuals. Viral isolation was more readily accomplished by MDM coculture resulting in 9 isolates being obtained exclusively by this method (macrophage tropic strains). To determine the in vivo cellular source of these isolates we separated PBMC from 5 of these 9 patients into T lymphocyte and monocyte fractions by flow microfluorometry. These fractions were then analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of HIV-1 proviral DNA. In 4 out of these 5 patients HIV-1 proviral DNA could be detected exclusively in T lymphocytes but not in monocytes, although the virus could be isolated only by MDM coculture. In the remaining patient HIV could be amplified in both T lymphocytes and monocytes. Further phenotypic analysis revealed that, among T lymphocytes, only the CD4+ subset was infected with HIV. We conclude that among PBMC the most common in vivo source of HIV strains which preferentially infect macrophages in vitro is the CD4+ T lymphocyte. These data also suggest that the macrophage tropism characteristic of some HIV strains reflects predominantly an in vitro phenomenon.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / microbiology*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • DNA, Viral / analysis
  • HIV / isolation & purification
  • HIV Antigens / metabolism
  • HIV Infections / diagnosis
  • HIV Seropositivity / microbiology*
  • Humans
  • Macrophages / microbiology*
  • Monocytes / microbiology*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction

Substances

  • DNA, Viral
  • HIV Antigens