Mg. Pittis et al., RECOMBINANT HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 (HIV-1) TAT PROTEIN INHIBITS PHAGOLYSOSOMAL FUSION IN HUMAN PERIPHERAL-BLOOD MONOCYTES, Viral immunology, 9(3), 1996, pp. 169-174
The effect of recombinant HIV-1 Tat protein on different functions of
peripheral blood monocytes, such as candidacidal activity and phagolys
osomal fusion, was evaluated. HIV-1 Tat protein caused a significant i
mpairment of phagolysosomal fusion at 100 ng/ml (p = 0.018). The inhib
itory effect of Tat on phagolysosomal fusion was blocked by the additi
on of 1 mu g/ml monoclonal anti-Tat antibody. Candidacidal activity of
peripheral monocytes was not altered by HIV-1 Tat protein at the conc
entration of 1 mu g/ml. These results indicate that HIV-1 Tat protein
can affect the monocyte microbicidal mechanisms at the phagolysosomal
fusion step with little or not effect upon the lytic activity.