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J Virol, July 1998, p. 5852-5861, Vol. 72, No. 7
Unité de Biologie des Rétrovirus,
Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
Received 28 October 1997/Accepted 2 April 1998
We report here that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected human thymocytes, in the absence of any exogenous stimulus but cocultivated with autologous thymic epithelial cells (TEC), obtained shortly (3 days) after thymus excision produce a high
and sustained level of HIV-1 particles. The levels and kinetics of
HIV-1 replication were similar for seven distinct viral strains
irrespective of their phenotypes and genotypes. Contact of thymocytes
with TEC is a critical requirement for optimal viral replication.
Rather than an inductive signal resulting from the contact itself,
soluble factors produced in the mixed culture are responsible for this
effect. Specifically, the synergistic effects of tumor necrosis factor,
interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, and granulocyte-macrophage
colony-stimulating factor may account by themselves for the high level
of HIV-1 replication in thymocytes observed in mixed cultures. In
conclusion, the microenvironment generated by TEC-thymocyte interaction
might greatly favor optimal HIV-1 replication in the thymus.
0022-538X/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Contact with Thymic Epithelial Cells as a
Prerequisite for Cytokine-Enhanced Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Type 1 Replication in Thymocytes
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Unité de
Biologie des Rétrovirus, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Dr Roux,
75724 Paris Cedex 15, France. Phone: 33 1 4568 8944/8733. Fax: 33 1 4568 8957. E-mail: nisrael{at}pasteur.fr.
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