Autoproliferation in HIV‐1‐infected patients undergoing active HIV‐1‐specific immunotherapy
We have observed a treatment‐associated autoproliferative response in cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of asymptomatic HIV‐1‐infected subjects receiving a gp120‐depleted, inactivated HIV‐I antigen in incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA; HIV‐I Immunogen). The frequency and magnitude of the autoproliferative response appeared to be dose‐related (P<0.05), and was not observed in subjects receiving IFA alone. Immunophenotyping of the proliferating cells demonstrated the presence of both CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes, with the CD4+ blasts almost exclusively expressing the CD45RO+ phenotype. A comparison of this response with the HIV‐1‐specific antigen stimulation responses in this cohort revealed a significant correlation between increases in HIV‐1‐specific cell‐mediated immunity and autoproliferation (r2= 0.61, P < 0.001). These findings suggest that immunization with the HIV‐1 Immunogen induces an autoproliferative response that may reflect changes in HIV‐1‐specific cell‐mediated immunity in infected individuals.