Effect of Hepatitis C Infection on HIV-Induced Apoptosis |
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| Authors: | Tomasz Laskus Karen V Kibler Marcin Chmielewski Jeffrey Wilkinson Debra Adair Andrzej Horban Grzegorz Stańczak Marek Radkowski |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Immunopathology, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland.; 2. The Biodesign Institute at ASU, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.; 3. St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.; 4. Municipal Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Warsaw, Poland.; University of North Carolina School of Medicine, United States of America, |
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| Abstract: | BackgroundHepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection was reported to negatively affect HIV disease and HIV infection has a deleterious effect on HCV-related liver disease. However, despite common occurrence of HCV/HIV coinfection little is known about the mechanisms of interactions between the two viruses.MethodsWe studied CD4+ and CD8+ T cell and CD19+ B cell apoptosis in 104 HIV-positive patients (56 were also HCV-positive) and in 22 HCV/HIV-coinfected patients treated for chronic hepatitis C with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. We also analyzed HCV/HIV coinfection in a Daudi B-cell line expressing CD4 and susceptible to both HCV and HIV infection. Apoptosis was measured by AnnexinV staining.ResultsHCV/HIV coinfected patients had lower CD4+ and CD8+ T cell apoptosis and higher CD19+ B cell apoptosis than those with HIV monoinfection. Furthermore, anti-HCV treatment of HCV/HIV coinfected patients was followed by an increase of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell apoptosis and a decrease of CD19+ B cell apoptosis. In the Daudi CD4+ cell line, presence of HCV infection facilitated HIV replication, however, decreased the rate of HIV-related cell death.ConclusionIn HCV/HIV coinfected patients T-cells were found to be destroyed at a slower rate than in HIV monoinfected patients. These results suggest that HCV is a molecular-level determinant in HIV disease. |
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