EARLY ULTRASTRUCTURAL-CHANGES OF HUMAN KERATINOCYTES AFTER HIV-1 CONTACT - AN IN-VITRO STUDY

Patients affected with AIDS develop a wide range of cutaneous neoplast ic and non-neoplastic disorders. However, it is not clear whether path ological skin changes, observed in HIV-1 seropositive subjects during the course of disease are correlated to HIV-1 infection. To verify the effect of HIV-1 on human epidermal keratinocytes (HEKs), we performed virological and ultrastructural (transmission and scanning electron m icroscopy - TEM, SEM) studies. For this purpose cultured HEKs were stu died following incubation with cell-free HIV-I or HIV-1/infected cells , treatment with recombinant gp120 and treatment with Tar protein. PCR analysis performed on cell-free, virus-treated HEKs, constantly demon strated negative results. Ultrastructural observations showed cytotoxi c, stress-induced HEK changes, including: 1. cell vacuolization; 2. di sordered cytoskeletal arrangement; 3. junctional leakage; 4. surface b lebbing. Our results suggest that, although HEKs appear resistant to H IV-1 infection in our experimental setting, they undergo a cascade of stress-induced subcellular events which possibly impair their in vivo physiological functions.