DIFFERENTIAL PRODUCTION OF INTERLEUKIN-10 DURING HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS INFECTION

Interleukin 10, a product of T and B cells and monocytes, displays man y Th2-like properties through inhibition of Th1 cell functions, Interl eukin 10 is thought to play a major role in the immune dysfunction see n in HIV-infected individuals, In this study, we evaluated in detail t he production of IL-10 during HIV infection, Although the constitutive production of IL-10 did not differ in PBMCs from healthy donors and H IV-infected individuals, IL-10 was differentially produced in response to polyclonal activators, The overall plasma IL-10 levels were simila r in 32 controls and 67 patients at different stages of the disease an d receiving different antiretroviral drugs. Hovever, patients with low CD4 T cell count ( < 200/mm(3)) secreted approximately threefold more IL-10 than did patients with high CD4 T cell count ( > 500/mm(3)), Co mpetitive/quantitative PCR revealed similar levels of mRNA expression in PBMCs from controls and HIV-infected individuals, In vitro HIV infe ction rapidly and transiently induced IL-10 production in PBMCs and mo nocytes, and the low level of endogenously secreted IL-10 failed to in hibit HIV replication in acutely infected monocytes, On the other hand , HIV infection of selected CD4(+) T cell clones generated in a Th1- o r Th2-like environment, differentially upregulated IL-10 production, w ith significantly higher production by Th2 clones, Together, our data indicate that IL-10 production is more complex than previously thought , and may depend on several factors such as producer cells, nature of the stimuli, as well as viral isolates.