CD4 Masking during Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection, Quantified on Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes, Is a Potential Marker of Disease Progression
Open Access
- 1 March 1996
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in The Journal of Infectious Diseases
- Vol. 173 (3) , 565-573
- https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/173.3.565
Abstract
In human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-l)-infected adults, the proportion of gpl20-free CD4 molecules on the surface of T lymphocytes was measured by double-epitope EIA and expressed as a CD4 epitope concentration ratio. In 51% of these patients (n = 81), CD4 T cells showed a significant decrease (up to 100%) in the accessibility of the CD4 epitope corresponding to the gp120 binding site (CDR2-like region), whereas another epitope in the Dl domain remained accessible. Of interest, a significant increase in the CD4 gp120 binding site concentration, without a change in T cell counts, was observed within 10 days after initiation of zidovudine treatment. Furthermore, CD4 masking by gp120 was associated with a poor clinical patient status. The assessment of the CD4 epitope concentration ratio is proposed as a surrogate marker of disease progression in HIV-1-infected patients.Keywords
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