This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Nuvor, S. V. Articles by Jaye, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Nuvor, S. V. Articles by Jaye, A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Virology, March 2006, p. 2529-2538, Vol. 80, No. 5
0022-538X/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.80.5.2529-2538.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Natural Killer Cell Function Is Well Preserved in Asymptomatic Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2 (HIV-2) Infection but Similar to That of HIV-1 Infection When CD4 T-Cell Counts Fall

Samuel Victor Nuvor, Marianne van der Sande, Sarah Rowland-Jones, Hilton Whittle, and Assan Jaye^*

MRC Laboratories, Fajara, Banjul, The Gambia

Received 20 October 2005/ Accepted 7 December 2005

Natural killer (NK) cells are potent effectors of natural immunity and their activity prevents human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) viral entry and viral replication. We sought to determine whether NK immune responses are associated with different clinical course of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections. A cross-sectional analysis of NK cell responses was undertaken in 30 HIV-1 and 30 HIV-2 subjects in each of three categories of CD4⁺-T-cell counts (>500, 200 to 500, and <200 cells/µl) and in 50 HIV-uninfected control subjects. Lytic activity and gamma interferon (IFN-) secretion were measured by chromium release and enzyme-linked immunospot assays, respectively. Flow cytometry was used to assess intracellular cytokines and chemokines. Levels of NK cytotoxicity were significantly higher in HIV-2 than in HIV-1 infections in subjects with high CD4⁺-T-cell counts and were similar to that of the healthy controls. In these HIV-2 subjects, cytolytic activity was positively correlated to NK cell count and inversely related to plasma viremia. Levels of intracellular MIP-1ß, RANTES, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and IFN- produced by NK CD56^bright cells were significantly higher in HIV-2- than HIV-1-infected subjects with high CD4⁺-T-cell counts but fell to similar levels as CD4 counts dropped. The data suggest efficient cytolytic and chemokine-suppressive activity of NK cells early in HIV-2 infection, which is associated with high CD4⁺ T-cell counts. Enhancement of these functions may be important in immune-based therapy to control HIV disease.

---

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Medical Research Council Laboratories, Fajara, P. O. Box 273, Banjul, The Gambia. Phone: (220) 4495442. Fax: (220) 4496513. E-mail: ajaye{at}mrc.gm.

Present address: RIVM, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.

---

Journal of Virology, March 2006, p. 2529-2538, Vol. 80, No. 5
0022-538X/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.80.5.2529-2538.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Bostik, P., Kobkitjaroen, J., Tang, W., Villinger, F., Pereira, L. E., Little, D. M., Stephenson, S. T., Bouzyk, M., Ansari, A. A. (2009). Decreased NK Cell Frequency and Function Is Associated with Increased Risk of KIR3DL Allele Polymorphism in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Rhesus Macaques with High Viral Loads. J. Immunol. 182: 3638-3649 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Majumder, B., Venkatachari, N. J., O'Leary, S., Ayyavoo, V. (2008). Infection with Vpr-Positive Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Impairs NK Cell Function Indirectly through Cytokine Dysregulation of Infected Target Cells. J. Virol. 82: 7189-7200 [Abstract] [Full Text]