An inhibition enzyme immunoassay using a human monoclonal antibody (K14) reactive with gp41 of HIV-1 for the serology of HIV-1 infections

textabstractAn inhibition enzyme immunoassay (IEIA), using a human monoclonal antibody (K14) reactive with gp41 of HIV-1, was evaluated for its applicability to the serology of HIV-1 infections. Using panels of serum samples from seronegative and confirmed HIV-1-seropositive individuals, it was shown that all the HIV-1-positive samples in a panel from The Netherlands and 97% of the HIV-1-positive samples from Tanzania were identified by this IEIA. Six per cent of the IEIA-positive samples from Tanzania could not be confirmed in other assays. Testing of serial dilutions of serum samples from African individuals with confirmed HIV-1, HIV-2 or HIV(ANI70) infections in the K14 IEIA, indicated that a HIV-1-specific assay based on this principle may be developed

Identification of Protein Kinases Dysregulated in CD4(+) T Cells in Pathogenic versus Apathogenic Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

Human immunodeficiency virus infection in humans and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in rhesus macaques (RM) leads to a generalized loss of immune responses involving perturbations in T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling. In contrast, naturally SIV-infected sooty mangabeys (SM) remain asymptomatic and retain immune responses despite relatively high viral loads. However, SIV infection in both RM and SM led to similar decreases in TCR-induced Lck phosphorylation. In this study, a protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) differential display method was utilized to characterize the effects of in vivo SIV infection on key signaling molecules of the CD4(+) T-cell signaling pathways. The CD4(+) T cells from SIV-infected RM, but not SIV-infected SM, showed chronic downregulation of baseline expression of MLK3, PRK, and GSK3, and symptomatically SIV-infected RM showed similar downregulation of MKK3. In vitro TCR stimulation with or without CD28 costimulation of CD4(+) T cells did not lead to the enhancement of gene transcription of these PTKs. While the CD4(+) T cells from SIV-infected RM showed a significant increase of the baseline and anti-TCR-mediated ROR2 transcription, SIV infection in SM led to substantially decreased anti-TCR-stimulated ROR2 transcription. TCR stimulation of CD4(+) T cells from SIV-infected RM (but not SIV-infected SM) led to the repression of CaMKKβ and the induction of gene transcription of MLK2. Studies of the function of these molecules in T-cell signaling may lead to the identification of potential targets for specific intervention, leading to the restoration of T-cell responses