Properties of HTLV-I transformed CD8+ T-cells in response to HIV-1 infection

HIV-1 infection studies of primary CD8+ T-cells are hampered by difficulty in obtaining a significant number of targets for infection and low levels of productive infection. Further, there exists a paucity of CD8-expressing T-cell lines to address questions pertaining to the study of CD8+ T-cells in the context of HIV-1 infection. In this study, a set of CD8+ T-cell clones were originated through HTLV-I transformation in vitro, and the properties of these cells were examined. The clones were susceptible to T-cell tropic strains of the virus and exhibited HIV-1 production 20-fold greater than primary CD4+ T-cells. Productive infection resulted in a decrease in expression of CD8 and CXCR4 molecules on the surface of the CD8+ T-cell clones and antibodies to these molecules abrogated viral binding and replication. These transformed cells provide an important tool in the study of CD8+ T-cells and may provide important insights into the mechanism(s) behind HIV-1 induced CD8+ T-cell dysfunction.