MAJOR EXPANSION OF CD8-CELLS WITH A PREDOMINANT V-BETA USAGE DURING THE PRIMARY IMMUNE-RESPONSE TO HIV( T)

A SIGNIFICANT proportion (up to 70%) of individuals experience an acut e clinical syndrome of varying severity associated with primary infect ion with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)(1-4). We report here s tudies on six individuals who showed an acute HIV syndrome which gener ally resolved within four weeks, concomitant with a dramatic downregul ation of viraemia(2-5). To characterize the T-cell-mediated primary im mune response to HIV, we used combined semiquantitative polymerase cha in reaction assay and cytofluorometry to analyse the T-cell antigen re ceptor repertoire in sequential peripheral blood mononuclear cells fro m the patients. We found major oligoclonal expansions in a restricted set of variable-domain beta-chain (V beta) families. Cells expressing the expanded V beta s predominantly expressed the CD8 T-cell different iation antigen and mediated HIV-specific cytotoxicity. Major oligoclon al expansions of these CD8(+) T lymphocytes may represent an important component of the primary immune response to viral infections and may help to clarify both the immunopathogenic and the protective mechanism s of HIV infection.