Apoptosis of mature T lymphocytes: putative role in the regulation of cellular immune responses and in the pathogenesis of HIV infection

• Published in: Progress in molecular and subcellular biology Vol. 16; p. 58
• Main Authors: Kabelitz, D, Pohl, T, Oberg, H H, Pechhold, K, Dobmeyer, T, Rossol, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 1996
• Subjects: Apoptosis; HIV Infections - etiology; Humans; Immunity, Cellular; T-Lymphocytes - pathology
• ISSN: 0079-6484
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-79850-4_4

In this chapter, some aspects of programmed cell death, or apoptosis, of T lymphocytes are discussed. It has been recognized that transformed T cells and immature T lymphocytes can be triggered to undergo apoptosis. As in other cell systems, apoptosis is characterized by cell shrinkage, nuclear condensation, and DNA fragmentation that displays the characteristic "ladder" pattern of approximately 180-200 bp fragments. More recently, however, it has become clear that apoptosis is not restricted to immature thymocytes or transformed T lymphocytes, but can also occur in mature peripheral T cells. This raises the question of whether apoptosis plays a role as a mechanism in regulating cellular immune responses, which will be discussed in the following sections. We will also address the issue of the potential role of T cell apoptosis in pathophysiology. Here, we will concentrate on the infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), where apoptosis is thought to contribute to the continuous decline in CD4+ T cells.