CD8 + T Cell Supernatants of HIV Type 1-Infected Individuals Have Opposite Effects on Long Terminal Repeat-Mediated Transcription in T Cells and Monocytes

CD8⁺ T lymphocytes of HIV-1-infected individuals can efficiently suppress HIV-1 replication in CD4⁺ T lymphocytes via soluble factors. We compared the effect of CD8⁺ T cell-derived supernatants on HIV-1 LTR-driven gene expression in T cells and monocytic cell lines. Our results demonstrate that CD8⁺ T cell supernatants that suppressed HIV-1 LTR-driven gene expression in Jurkat T cells significantly enhanced expression in Tat-activated U38 monocytic cells in the presence and absence of mitogenic stimulation. Examination of a panel of CD8⁺ T cell-derived supernatants from HIV-infected individuals demonstrated that the extent of enhancement of transcription in U38 cells was mirrored in most cases by a similar level of suppression of transcription in Jurkat T cells. In latently infected U1 cells treated with TNF-α, culture with CD8⁺ T cell supernatants markedly enhanced virus production. In addition, the percentage increase in the enhancement of HIV-1 LTR-driven CAT expression by CD8⁺ T cell supernatants correlated strongly (r = 0.911) with the level of p24 detected. The level of LTR-mediated gene expression in U38 cells was not influenced by rhMIP-1α rhMIP-1β, or rhRANTES over a wide range of chemokine concentration. Treatment of CD8⁺ T cell supernatant with a combination of antibodies to these chemokines resulted in a further augmentation of LTR-mediated CAT expression in U38 cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate that CD8⁺ T cell suppressive factors may have opposite effects on HIV-1 LTR-driven gene expression and replication dependent on target cell type and further suggest that the β-chemokines do not influence HIV-1 LTR-mediated gene expression in monocytic cells.