Quantification of CD4, CCR5, and CXCR4 levels on lymphocyte subsets, dendritic cells, and differentially conditioned monocyte-derived macrophages

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999 Apr 27;96(9):5215-20. doi: 10.1073/pnas.96.9.5215.

Abstract

CCR5 and CXCR4 are the major HIV-1 coreceptors for R5 and X4 HIV-1 strains, respectively, and a threshold number of CD4 and chemokine receptor molecules is required to support virus infection. Therefore, we used a quantitative fluorescence-activated cell sorting assay to determine the number of CD4, CCR5, and CXCR4 antibody-binding sites (ABS) on various T cell lines, T cell subsets, peripheral blood dendritic cells (PBDC), and monocyte-derived macrophages by using four-color fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis on fresh whole blood. Receptor levels varied dramatically among the various subsets examined and typically varied from 2- to 5-fold between individuals. CCR5 was expressed at much higher levels in CD4+/CD45RO+/CD62L-true memory cells compared with CD4+/CD45RO+/CD62L+ cells. Fresh PBDC had the highest number of CCR5 ABS among the leukocyte subsets examined but had few CXCR4 ABS, affording a strategy for sort-purifying PBDC. In vitro maturation of PBDC resulted in median 3- and 41-fold increases in CCR5 and CXCR4 ABS, respectively. We found that macrophage colony-stimulating factor caused the greatest up-regulation of both CCR5 and CXCR4 on macrophage maturation (from approximately 5,000 to approximately 50, 000 ABS) whereas granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor caused a marked decrease of CXCR4 (from approximately 5,000 ABS to <500) while up-regulating CCR5 expression (from approximately 5,000 to approximately 20,000 ABS). Absolute ABS for CD4 and the major HIV-1 coreceptors serve as a more quantitative measure of cell surface expression, and we propose that this be used for future studies looking at the modulation of CD4 or chemokine receptor expression by cytokines, HIV-1 infection, or receptor polymorphisms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • CD4 Antigens / analysis*
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Line
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology
  • Dendritic Cells / metabolism*
  • HIV Infections / immunology
  • HIV-1 / physiology
  • Humans
  • Macrophages / immunology
  • Macrophages / metabolism*
  • Monocytes / cytology
  • Monocytes / immunology
  • Monocytes / metabolism
  • Receptors, CCR5 / analysis*
  • Receptors, CXCR4 / analysis*
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / metabolism*
  • Virus Replication

Substances

  • CD4 Antigens
  • Receptors, CCR5
  • Receptors, CXCR4