ACTIVATION OF THE HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 LONG TERMINAL REPEAT BY SKIN-SENSITIZING CHEMICALS IN TRANSGENIC MICE

Topical dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) is often used for evaluating conta ct skin hypersensitivity in immunocompromised patients. We have determ ined, in this study, that topical application of DNCB alone, even with out induction of contact skin hypersensitivity, was sufficient to obse rve activation of the human immunodeficiency virus promoter (long term inal repeat) in the skin of an HIV-1 long terminal repeat-luciferase t ransgenic mouse model. Such treatment might be contraindicative in pat ients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, because in earli er studies DNCB-exposed skin dendritic cells might migrate into draini ng lymph nodes which play an important role in AIDS pathogenesis.