Diminished expression of cell-surface complement regulatory proteins in HIV-infected children and with HIV infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro

Experimental data have established that HIV-infected lymphocytes activate the complement system. However, because mammalian lymphocytes possess a series of cell-surface complement regulators that inhibit amplification on autologous cells, complement-mediated destruction of host cells is usually inhibited. These studies were performed to examine whether alterations in the cell-surface complement regulatory proteins decay-accelerating factor (DAF, CD55) and membrane cofactor protein (MCP, CD46) may occur during HIV infection in vitro or in vivo. The physiologic significance of these alterations were assessed by radiolabeled chromium release experiments. We show that MCP fluorescent intensity is significantly lessened in HIV-infected children and that DAF intensity is similarly lessened in infected children with advanced disease. These findings could be duplicated with HIV infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro.