Matthijs Tersmette

Proliferation-dependent HIV-1 infection of monocytes occurs during differentiation into macrophages.

Requirements for the establishment of productive infection with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in primary monocytes were investigated. In vitro, monocytes rendered susceptible for infection after at least a 2-d culture, but when cultured in the presence of differentiation-inducing agent IL-4, accelerated susceptibility was seen. Complete resistance to HIV-1 infection was observed in monocytes that had been treated for 5 d with rIL-4, and comparable results were obtained with other differentiation inducers such as dexamethasone or 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2vitD3). The inhibition of productive infection was not caused by downregulation of CD4 expression or HIV-1 transcription, nor by intracellular accumulation of virions. Since treatment with rIL-4, dexamethasone, or 1,25(OH)2vitD3 also resulted in complete inhibition of monocyte proliferation, we studied whether establishment of productive infection in monocytes is proliferation dependent. Irradiation or mitomycin-C treatment within 24 h after inoculation prevented productive HIV-1 infection of monocytes, suggesting a proliferation-dependent step early in the virus replication cycle. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis revealed the presence of only incomplete proviral DNA species in non-proliferating monocytes, indicating restriction of viral replication at the level of reverse transcription. Thus, in analogy with HIV-1 infection of CD4+ T cells, proliferation of monocytes during differentiation into macrophages is a prerequisite for productive infection with HIV.

HIV-1 biological phenotype and the development of zidovudine resistance in relation to disease progression in asymptomatic individuals during treatment.

ObjectiveTo determine which parameters are associated with clinical progression during zidovudine treatment of asymptomatic HIV-1-infected individuals. MethodsTwenty-four initially asymptomatic HIV-1-infected individuals were treated with zidovudine and followed until the development of AIDS or for approximately 3 years. HIV-1 phenotype was determined by cocultivation of patient cells with donor lymphocytes, and by a new assay of direct cocultivation with MT-2 cells. Specific mutations in the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) gene conferring resistance to zidovudine were detected using a selective polymerase chain reaction. ResultsProgression to AIDS was more rapid in individuals harbouring syncytium-inducing (SI) viral isolates or showing a conversion from non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) to SI viral isolates. One out of 20 patients who spent a total of 559 months harbouring an NSI phenotype progressed to AIDS, whereas eight out of 12 patients who spent a total of 223 months harbouring an SI phenotype progressed to AIDS (P<0.001). There was no significant difference between SI and non-SI isolates in the frequency of five mutations causing zidovudine resistance. However, all SI isolates obtained after 2 years of treatment contained mutations in codons 41 and 215 of the RT gene, whereas only five out of 11 (45%) NSI isolates obtained at that time had this combination of mutations. ConclusionsConversion to the SI phenotype cannot be prevented by zidovudine treatment. The presence or appearance of an SI virus heralded disease progression in zidovudine-treated individuals. Further research is required to investigate the relationship between virus phenotype and development of zidovudine resistance.