Interleukin-2 production used to detect antigenic peptide recognition by T-helper lymphocytes from asymptomatic HIV-seropositive individuals

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 339; no. 6223; p. 383
• Main Authors: Clerici, M, Stocks, N I, Zajac, R A, Boswell, R N, Bernstein, D C, Mann, D L, Shearer, G M, Berzofsky, J A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.06.1989
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - diagnosis; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - immunology; Antigens, Viral - immunology; Biomarkers - analysis; HIV Antigens - immunology; HIV Seropositivity; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Influenza A virus - immunology; Interleukin-2 - analysis; Interleukin-2 - biosynthesis; Lymphocyte Activation; Reference Values; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer - immunology
• ISSN: 0028-0836
• DOI: 10.1038/339383a0

T lymphocytes from mice and healthy humans immunized against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope have recently been shown to recognize two antigenic regions of the gp160 HIV-envelope protein which have been located on the basis of amphipathicity. In HIV-infected humans, T-cell proliferative responses are lost soon after infection. Here we demonstrate that interleukin-2 production is often retained even when proliferative activity is absent, and that it can be used to monitor T-helper cell responses by HIV-seropositive donors. We use this approach to investigate the T-helper cell response of 42 asymptomatic HIV-seropositive patients to four synthetic gp160 peptides and to influenza A virus, an antigen requiring intact CD4 T-helper cell function. As many as 67% of the HIV-seropositive donors who retain responsiveness to influenza A virus respond to a single peptide, and 85-90% responded to at least one of the peptides.