Inhibitory effect of HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins gp120 and gp160 on the in vitro growth of enriched (CD34+) hematopoietic progenitor cells

• Published in: Archives of virology Vol. 122; no. 3-4; pp. 271 - 280
• Main Authors: ZAULI, G, RE, M. C, VISANI, G, FURLINI, G, LA PLACA, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wien Springer 1992; New York, NY
• Subjects: AIDS/HIV; Antigens, CD; Antigens, CD34; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Count; Cell Division; Cell Separation; Cells, Cultured; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Products, env; Hematopoiesis; Hematopoietic Stem Cells - cytology; HIV Envelope Protein gp120; HIV Envelope Protein gp160; HIV-1; human immunodeficiency virus 1; Humans; Microbiology; Protein Precursors; Replicative cycle, interference, host-virus relations, pathogenicity, miscellaneous strains; Retroviridae Proteins - pharmacology; Virology; Cell proliferation; HIV-1 virus; Retroviridae; Hematopoietic cell; Glycoproteins; In vitro; Precursor; Host virus relation; Virus; Hematopoiesis; Lentivirinae; Human immunodeficiency virus; Inhibition
• ISSN: 0304-8608; 1432-8798
• DOI: 10.1007/BF01317189

The effect of increasing concentrations (from 0.01 to 10 micrograms/ml) of HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins gp160, gp120, gp41 and core protein p24 was evaluated on the in vitro growth of enriched hematopoietic progenitors (CD34+ cells). Both gp120 and gp160, at concentrations from 0.01 to 10 micrograms/ml, caused a progressive and significant (p less than 0.05) decrease in viable CD34+ cell count in liquid cultures supplemented with 2 ng/ml of human recombinant (r) interleukin-3 (IL-3), evaluated by means of Trypan-blue exclusion and [3H]thymidine ([3H]TdR) incorporation. In the absence of rIL-3, no inhibitory effects were observed even at the highest gp160 and gp120 concentrations explored (10 micrograms/ml). On the contrary, gp41 and p24 did not affect the number of viable CD34+ cells, either in the presence or in the absence of rIL-3. Moreover, gp160 and gp120, but not gp41 and p24, significantly (p less than 0.05) inhibited the in vitro growth of granulomacrophage progenitors (CFU-GM) in a dose-dependent fashion. These data clearly demonstrate that HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins inhibit the growth of purified hematopoietic progenitors. We propose that HIV-1 can impair hematopoiesis through the interaction of gp120/gp160 with CD34+ cell surface, independently of an infectious process.