ALTERATION OF IN-VIVO CYTOKINE GENE-EXPRESSION IN MICE INFECTED WITH A MOLECULAR CLONE OF THE DEFECTIVE MAIDS VIRUS

The discovery of T helper type 1 (Th1) and T helper type 2 (Th2) pheno types within the CD4(+) T-lymphocyte population has allowed for furthe r elucidation of the roles the T cells play in regulation of humoral a nd cellular immunity. It is suggested that differential activation of the CD4(+) subsets, particularly up-regulation of the Th2 cell and dow n-regulation of the Th1 cell, may be associated with diseases as diver se as AIDS and asthma. We report herein that by using the polymerase c hain reaction to analyze the kinetics of in vivo cytokine- and virus-s pecific gene expression, we can show that mice infected with the molec ularly cloned MAIDS defective virus 1/27/A BM5 exhibit an alteration i n cytokine gene expression that closely parallels an increase in splee n cell numbers, an increase in IgM production, a decrease in the stimu lation index, and an increase in defective-virus gene expression in th ese mice. As has been suggested to be true for human AIDS, the observe d alteration of cytokine gene expression suggests that a pattern of ex pression similar to that produced by Th2 cells may also have a role in the development of MAIDS.