The mechanism by which HIV causes depletion of CD4 lymphocytes remains unkn
own. Recent studies have demonstrated that HIV binding to resting CD4 lymph
ocytes causes them to home from the blood into lymph node, and during the h
oming process, they are induced into apoptosis only to secondary signals th
rough the homing receptors. If this is the principal mechanism of CD4 cell
depletion, it can explain many of the events known to occur in HIV-infected
individual.