Human Immunodeficiency Virus Glycoprotein-Specific CD4+Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes Are Involved in Two Types of Cytotoxicity: Antigen-Specific and Cell-Cell Fusion-Related Cell Lysis

Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) glycoprotein-specific CD4+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) lyse target cells in an MHC-restricted calcium-dependent fashion similar to the mechanism used by CD8+ CTLs. However, contact of unprimed peripheral blood CD4+ T cells with HIV glycoprotein-expressing cells has been shown to cause, in addition to cell-cell fusion, rapid cytolysis that may resemble antigen-specific cytotoxicity in the chromium release assay. In this study, the ability of glycoprotein-specific CD4+ CTLs to undergo similar fusion-related cytolysis was examined. The data obtained demonstrate that in addition to antigen-specific calcium-dependent cytotoxicity, envelope-specific CD4+ CTLs are involved in fusion-related, calcium-independent cytolysis.

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