Syncytium formation in cultured human lymphoid tissue: fusion of implanted HIV glycoprotein 120/41-expressing cells with native CD4+ cells.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Syncytium formation in cultured human lymphoid tissue: fusion of implanted HIV glycoprotein 120/41-expressing cells with native CD4+ cells.

AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 1995 Jun;11(6):697-704. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/96078230
Margolis LB; Glushakova S; Baibakov B; Zimmerberg J; Laboratory of Theoretical and Physical Biology, National; Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National; Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

Abstract: While glycoprotein gp120/41 clearly causes HIV-infected cells to form syncytia in monolayers and in suspension, there is unfortunately scant knowledge on syncytium formation in tissues. We implanted gp120/41-expressing cells labeled with fluorescent particles inside blocks of human lymphoid tissue kept in long-term histoculture. Observed by confocal microscopy, together with immunohistochemical and morphological analysis of implanted cells, more than one-third of these gp120/41-expressing cells fused with native CD4+ cells of the host tissue, yielding small (three to five nuclei) syncytia. Such widespread fusion of gp120/41-expressing cells in tissue in vitro, together with the finding of increased virulence of syncytium-inducing isolates of HIV, support the hypothesis that syncytium formation within lymph tissue of HIV-infected individuals contributes to AIDS pathogenesis. This system and the methods developed may provide a way to study HIV-infected cells inside the very tissue whose destruction may prevent immune system repopulation.

Keywords: Antigens, CD20/ANALYSIS Antigens, CD3/ANALYSIS *Cell Fusion CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/*CYTOLOGY/VIROLOGY Giant Cells/CYTOLOGY Hela Cells Human HIV Envelope Protein gp120/*PHYSIOLOGY HIV Envelope Protein gp41/*PHYSIOLOGY *HIV-1 Tissue Culture Tonsil/IMMUNOLOGY/*VIROLOGY Vaccinia Virus/GENETICS JOURNAL ARTICLE
960228
M9621020

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