T cell receptor (TCR) for antigen: A comparative study between the TCR alpha/beta and TCR gamma/delta subsets in noninfected and HIV infected individuals.

Abstract

HIV infection is associated with characteristic quantitative changes in T-lymphocyte subsets: progressive depletion of the CD4$\sp{+}$ T-lymphocytes and an increased number of the CD8$\sp{+}$ T-lymphocyte. In this study, I report the results of a flow cytometric analysis of the expression of CD3, CD4, CD8, TCR$\alpha$/$\beta$, and TCR$\gamma$/$\delta$ antigens. I observed that CD8$\sp{+}$TCR$\alpha$/$\beta\sp{+}$ cells increased early in HIV disease (p 0.01) whereas the frequency of CD4$\sp{+}$TCR$\alpha$/$\beta\sp{+}$ cells was relatively unchanged. The frequency of TCR$\gamma$/$\delta\sp{+}$ cells remained unchanged. However, the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI), reflecting surface antigenic density, varied and allowed a clear distinction among different stages of infection. The expression of three activation markers (HLA-DR, CD38, CD57) was clearly increased in HIV infected individuals. The TCR$\alpha$/$\beta$ subset showed more substantial variation for activation markers. In the TCR$\gamma$/$\delta$ subset, the CD57 antigen seemed to be the most affected by the state of the disease and showed the greatest increase (p 0.01). (Abstract shortened by UMI.)