HERPESVIRUS SAIMIRI-TRANSFORMED HUMAN CD4(-CELL LINES - AN EFFICIENT TARGET-CELL SYSTEM FOR THE ANALYSIS OF HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS-SPECIFIC CYTOTOXIC CD8(+) T-LYMPHOCYTE ACTIVITY() T)

Herpesvirus saimiri growth-transformed human CD4(+) T lymphocytes were examined for their suitability as a target cell system for investigat ing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-specific HLA class I-restricted cytotoxic T-cell activity. Besides CD4, they express the chemokine re ceptors CCR5 and CXCR4, the common coreceptors of HIV. They are infect ible by a range of HIV strains, including primary isolates, becoming e fficient targets for CD8-positive HIV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes .