ROLE FOR CD30 IN HIV EXPRESSION

CD30 is a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-receptor superfami ly, whose ligand (CD30L) has been identified on B cells, activated mac rophages and a subset of activated T cells. We show here that infectio n in vitro with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) of CD4(+) T-cell cl ones generated from HIV-seronegative individuals can enhance the expre ssion of CD30, which often preceeds and is associated with the death o f clonal T cells. Furthermore, cross-linking CD30 with an agonistic CD 30-specific monoclonal antibody potentiated HIV replication induced by an insolubilized anti-CD3 antibody in T-cell lines generated from HIV -infected individuals. More importantly, paraformaldehyde-fixed CD8(+) T-cell clones expressing CD30L enhanced HIV replication in anti-CD3-s timulated allogeneic or autologous HIV-infected CD4(+) T-cell lines an d such a potentiating effect was inhibited by an anti-CD30L antibody. The anti-CD30L antibody also exerted a suppressive effect on the spont aneous HIV replication occurring in lymph node cells, freshly derived from an HIV-seropositive patient showing CD30 expression in B cells an d in a proportion of CD8(+) T lymphocytes. Thus, CD30 triggering may p lay an important role in both HIV replication and the death of HIV-inf ected CD4(+) T cells.