DIFFERENCES IN HIV REPLICATION IN CD4(-CHEMOKINE PRODUCTION() LYMPHOCYTES ARE NOT RELATED TO BETA)

CD4(+) T lymphocytes from different donors vary in their ability to re plicate different isolates of HIV. beta-chemokines have been shown to reduce the rate of HIV replication in cultured cells. We now demonstra te, using CD4(+) cells from 19 different donors, that the variations i n viral replication observed in CD4(+) lymphocytes are not due to endo genous production of beta-chemokines by the cells. Instead of finding a correlation of high-level beta-chemokine production with low-level r eplication of virus, we found either no consistent relationship betwee n these two parameters or a correlation between high-level beta-chemok ine production and high-level virus replication. This observation was made with both chemokine-sensitive and chemokine-resistant HIV isolate s. Thus, other mechanisms appear to be involved in the variability in HIV replication in cultured CD4(+) cells.