HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 (HIV-1) AND HUMAN HEMATOPOIETIC PROGENITOR CELLS

Besides a progressive depletion of CD4+ T-lymphocytes, other periphera l blood cytopenias, (granulocytopenia, anemia and thrombocytopenia) ar e frequently observed in HIV-1 seropositive individuals, especially in patients with overt AIDS. Various experimental evidences suggest that HIV-1 could play a direct role in the pathogenesis of HIV-1 related p eripheral blood cytopenias, affecting the survival/proliferation capac ity of hematopoietic progenitors. CD34+ human hematopoietic progenitor s, however, are substantially not susceptible to HIV-1 infection eithe r in vitro and in vivo and their defects seem rather related to an alt eration of bone marrow and peripheral blood microenvironments due to t he presence of soluble HIV-1 specific products.