INTACT ANTIGEN RECEPTOR-MEDIATED CALCIUM SIGNALS IN PATIENTS WITH EARLY-STAGE HIV-1 INFECTION

A variety of deficiencies in T cell activation have been described in HIV-1 infection. To determine whether one component of Ag receptor sig nal transduction might be impaired and contribute to the immunopatholo gy of HIV infection, we tested CD4 cells from patients with early to m id-stage HIV infection for TCR-induced calcium mobilization. There was no detectable difference between patients and controls in the mean CD 4 cell calcium response or in the fraction of responding CD4 cells aft er crosslinking the TCR with OKT3 Ab. in addition, in HIV-infected pat ients, there was no correlation between calcium mobilization and the C D4 cell count. These results indicate that there are no intrinsic impa irments of Ag receptor calcium signaling in circulating CD4 cells from HIV-infected patients with >400 CD4 cells/mm(3), although abnormaliti es in patients with later stage infections cannot be excluded.