POTENTIAL DELETERIOUS EFFECT OF ANTIVIRAL CYTOTOXIC LYMPHOCYTE THROUGH THE CD95 (FAS APO-1)-MEDIATED PATHWAY DURING CHRONIC HIV-INFECTION/

The potential deleterious effect through a CD95-based pathway of anti- viral cytotoxic lymphocyte (CTL) during HIV-infection was studied. The present paper reports that a Nef specific CTL line derived from an HI V-infected person is able to kill not only Nef-expressing target cells but also CD95(+) compliant Jurkat cells. The two mechanisms of cytoto xicity, i.e. perforin-vs. CD95-dependent, were differentiated accordin g to their respective Ca2+-dependence. The existence of the dual killi ng machinery in the anti-HIV CTL line was correlated with the coexpres sion in these cells of perforin and CD95-L molecules. A model of AIDS pathogenesis involving the deleterious effect through the CD95 pathway of the viral specific CTL response is discussed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Sc ience B.V.