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Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1993 Jan;91(1):18–24. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1993.tb03347.x

Relationship between IL-2 receptor expression and proliferative responses in lymphocytes from HIV-1 seropositive homosexual men.

R K Chopra 1, N B Raj 1, J P Scally 1, A D Donnenberg 1, W H Adler 1, A J Saah 1, J B Margolick 1
PMCID: PMC1554661  PMID: 8093435

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that exogenous IL-2 does not correct the reduction in phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-induced proliferation of lymphocytes from HIV-1 infected (HIV+) individuals. We investigated the mechanism of this reduction to determine if reduced expression of the complete IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) was responsible. In a series of experiments, PHA-stimulated lymphocytes from a total of 89 HIV- and 93 HIV+ homosexual men from the Baltimore Multicentre AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) were studied to determine the expression of messages for the alpha and beta subunits of the IL-2R, the binding of 125I-IL-2 to high affinity IL-2R, and the effect of IL-2 on cell proliferation. Compared to HIV- donors, PHA-stimulated lymphocytes from most HIV+ donors demonstrated (i) a reduction in high affinity IL-2R expression that correlated with the reduction in the IL-2-induced proliferative response; and (ii) a reduction in expression of both IL-2R alpha- and beta-chain mRNA which may be responsible for decreased high affinity IL-2R expression. However, lymphocytes from some HIV+ individuals had borderline low IL-2-induced proliferation despite normal or elevated expression of high affinity IL-2R. These results suggest that decreased expression of IL-2R may account, at least in part, for the lower proliferative response of cells from HIV+ donors.

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Selected References

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