Immunology Today, voL 8, No. 6, 1987
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of such cells and influence the probability of HIV transmission. It may be necessary to consider alternative Sir, Several well-established facts about approaches to vaccination for elithe immunologic status of male re- mination of virally infected cells in productive tissues have yet to be immunologically privileged sites such integrated into current concepts of as the male reproductive tract. AIDS transmission. Numerous leukoDeborah J. Anderson cytes, including CD4 ÷ and CD8 + FearingResearchLaboratory, Departmentof lymphocyte subpopulations and Obstetricsand Gynecology,HarvardMedical macrophages, the principal hosts of School, Boston, MA 02115, USA HIV 1. are present in normal human semen 2-4 and male reproductive tract tissues, particularly in the rete References testis and epididymal regions s-8. The 1 Klatzmann, D. and Gluckman, J.C. number of leukocytes in semen can (1986) Immunol. Today 7, 291-295 be significantly increased in men 20lsen, G.P. and Shields,J.W. (1984) with prostatitis9. infertility~o. 1~ or a Nature 309, 116-117 history of reproductive tract 3 Wolff, H., Faris, H.M.P., Hill, J.A. etal. infection ~2.13. These clinical indices (1987) J. Androl. (suppl.) 37 D., Bernard,J., Leibovitch, J. may therefore be associated with an 4et Zagurj, al. (1984) Science 226, 449-451 increased incidence of sexual trans- $ Wang, Y.F. and Hostein, A.F. (1983) mission of HIV-infected cells. Cell Tissue Res. 223; 517-521 Spermatozoa ~ and microbial organ- 6 Taylor-Emery,S., Battaile,A. and isms that are frequently present in Anderson, D. (1986) J. Reprod.lmmunol. the male reproductive tract ~4 are im- (suppl.) 71 munogenic and may activate lym- 7 Ritchie,A.W.S., Hargreave,T.B., phocytes and macrophages hosting James, K. etal. (1984) Br. J. Urol. 56, HIV in reproductive tissues. This is 79-83 significant because recent evidence indicates that HIV resides in latent phase in nonactivated CD4 ÷ lymphocytes (the principal host cell type) CD nomenclature for mouse antigens? and that viral replication and shedding is induced by antigen or mitogen activation of the host Sir, lymphocyte I . It is interesting to compare the MaJP rpnrndHt-flv~ tic~,,-c =r,- =n I.,~-~,.+ A,¢ L. ........ r" ........ ~ ..~w....o w,,ii ~.. U l i ~.¢1 I• .~Ul I I I I It'll y Ui llUllld[1 immunologically privileged environ- leukocyte differentiation antigens by ment is. Antibodies have limited ac- Stephen Shaw (ImmunoL Today, cess to the epididymis and other 1987, 8, 1-3) with a recent summary reproductive tract organs16.~7 and of murine lymphocyte differentiation may not function effectively due to antigens 1. While the genetic characthe presence of complement terization of loci encoding lymphoinhibitors ~8. Cytotoxic T cells and cyte markers is more advanced for natural killer cells may be prevented mice than for humans, the human from effective function in male re- leukocyte markers in general have productive tissues by the blood/testis been more thoroughly defined barrier system, immunosuppressive biochemically. Both serologic and factors and suppressor cells~1,19. biochemical analyses are required in Furthermore, immunosuppressive order to assign to a human leukocyte factors in seminal plasma may inhibit marker a new cluster of differentiaantiviral defense mechanisms in sex- tion (CD) designation 2. One laments ual recipients; seminal plasma that such rigorous criteria have not inhibits antibody/complement- been uniformly adopted for defining mediated killing and opsonization of new murine lymphocyte markers. other venereal organisms including Without geod biochemical analyses, Neisseria gonorrhoeae2O. it is difficult to ascertain whether a There is, therefore, considerable putative new marker is in fac new potential for venereal transmission or, for example, simply a newly deof AIDS by antigen-activated HIV- fined allele of a previously defined infected CD4 + cells and macro- marker. There is a pressing need to phages in semen; a history of identify more murine homologues venereal disease or autoimmune in- for the other 40 odd human markers fertility may increase the frequency apart from CD4, CD5, CD8, and the
8 EI-Demiry,M.IM., Hargreave, T.B., Busuttil, A. etal. (1985) Br. J. Urol. 57, 769-774 9 Schaeffer,AJ., Wendel, E.F., Dunn, J.K. and Grayhack,J.T. (1981) J. Urol. 125, 215-219 10 Phadke,A.M. and Phadke, G.M. (1961)J. Reprod. Fertil. 2, 400--403 11 Alexander, N.J. and Anderson, D.J. (1987) Fertil. Steril. 47, 192-205 12 Comhaire, F., Verschraegon, G. and Vermeulen, L. (1980)Int. J. Androl. 3, 32-45 13 Coates, R.A., Soskolne, C.L. and Read, S.E. (Abstract) International Conference on AIDS, Paris, 1986. 14 Toth, A. and Lesser, M.L (1981)FertiL Steril. 36, 88-91 15 Alexander, N.J. and Anderson, D.J. (1979) Fertil. Steril. 32, 253-360 16 Wong, P.Y.D.,Tsang, A.Y.F., Fu, W. et al. (1983)InL J. Androl. 6, 275-282 17 Rumke, P. (1974) Clin. Exp. Immunol. 17, 287 18 Tarter, T.H. and Alexander, N.J. (1984) Am. J. Reprod. ImmunoL 6, 28-32 19 JamesK. and Hargreave,T.B. (1984) Immunol. Today 5, 357-363 20 Brooks, G.F., Lammel, C.J., Peterson, B.H. and Stites, D.P. (1981)J. Clin. Invest. 67, 1523-1529
recently defined CD3 homologue 3. Better biochemical definition of murine markers could also assist in this endeavour. It is noteworthy that both Morse and coworkers 1 when referring to human markers and Leo et al. 3 in their study characterizing the murine homologue of CD3 did not use the human CD nomenclature. Adoption of common criteria and nomenclature would make it easier for investigators to understand parallel murine and human studies. Once murinehuman homologues have been identified, the WHO-approved CD nomenclature could be used for both.
EdwardA. Clark Division of Immunology, Institute for Molecular and CellularBiology, Osaka University, Osaka565, Japan
References 1 Morse III, H.C., Shen, F.W. and Hammerling, U. (1987) Immunogenetics 25, 71-78 2. Bernard,A., Boumsell, L., Dausset,J. et a/., eds (1984) Leukocyte Typing, Springer Verlag 3 Leo, 0., Foo, M., Sachs, D. H. etal. (1987) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 84, 1374-1378
( ~ 1 9 8 7 . Elsevier P u b l i c a t i o n s . C a m b r i d g e
0167-4919/87/502.00
!
! 170
iJ
i
Transmissionof AIDS
of such cells and influence the probability of HIV transmission. It may be necessary to consider alternative Sir, Several well-established facts about approaches to vaccination for elithe immunologic status of male re- mination of virally infected cells in productive tissues have yet to be immunologically privileged sites such integrated into current concepts of as the male reproductive tract. AIDS transmission. Numerous leukoDeborah J. Anderson cytes, including CD4 ÷ and CD8 + FearingResearchLaboratory, Departmentof lymphocyte subpopulations and Obstetricsand Gynecology,HarvardMedical macrophages, the principal hosts of School, Boston, MA 02115, USA HIV 1. are present in normal human semen 2-4 and male reproductive tract tissues, particularly in the rete References testis and epididymal regions s-8. The 1 Klatzmann, D. and Gluckman, J.C. number of leukocytes in semen can (1986) Immunol. Today 7, 291-295 be significantly increased in men 20lsen, G.P. and Shields,J.W. (1984) with prostatitis9. infertility~o. 1~ or a Nature 309, 116-117 history of reproductive tract 3 Wolff, H., Faris, H.M.P., Hill, J.A. etal. infection ~2.13. These clinical indices (1987) J. Androl. (suppl.) 37 D., Bernard,J., Leibovitch, J. may therefore be associated with an 4et Zagurj, al. (1984) Science 226, 449-451 increased incidence of sexual trans- $ Wang, Y.F. and Hostein, A.F. (1983) mission of HIV-infected cells. Cell Tissue Res. 223; 517-521 Spermatozoa ~ and microbial organ- 6 Taylor-Emery,S., Battaile,A. and isms that are frequently present in Anderson, D. (1986) J. Reprod.lmmunol. the male reproductive tract ~4 are im- (suppl.) 71 munogenic and may activate lym- 7 Ritchie,A.W.S., Hargreave,T.B., phocytes and macrophages hosting James, K. etal. (1984) Br. J. Urol. 56, HIV in reproductive tissues. This is 79-83 significant because recent evidence indicates that HIV resides in latent phase in nonactivated CD4 ÷ lymphocytes (the principal host cell type) CD nomenclature for mouse antigens? and that viral replication and shedding is induced by antigen or mitogen activation of the host Sir, lymphocyte I . It is interesting to compare the MaJP rpnrndHt-flv~ tic~,,-c =r,- =n I.,~-~,.+ A,¢ L. ........ r" ........ ~ ..~w....o w,,ii ~.. U l i ~.¢1 I• .~Ul I I I I It'll y Ui llUllld[1 immunologically privileged environ- leukocyte differentiation antigens by ment is. Antibodies have limited ac- Stephen Shaw (ImmunoL Today, cess to the epididymis and other 1987, 8, 1-3) with a recent summary reproductive tract organs16.~7 and of murine lymphocyte differentiation may not function effectively due to antigens 1. While the genetic characthe presence of complement terization of loci encoding lymphoinhibitors ~8. Cytotoxic T cells and cyte markers is more advanced for natural killer cells may be prevented mice than for humans, the human from effective function in male re- leukocyte markers in general have productive tissues by the blood/testis been more thoroughly defined barrier system, immunosuppressive biochemically. Both serologic and factors and suppressor cells~1,19. biochemical analyses are required in Furthermore, immunosuppressive order to assign to a human leukocyte factors in seminal plasma may inhibit marker a new cluster of differentiaantiviral defense mechanisms in sex- tion (CD) designation 2. One laments ual recipients; seminal plasma that such rigorous criteria have not inhibits antibody/complement- been uniformly adopted for defining mediated killing and opsonization of new murine lymphocyte markers. other venereal organisms including Without geod biochemical analyses, Neisseria gonorrhoeae2O. it is difficult to ascertain whether a There is, therefore, considerable putative new marker is in fac new potential for venereal transmission or, for example, simply a newly deof AIDS by antigen-activated HIV- fined allele of a previously defined infected CD4 + cells and macro- marker. There is a pressing need to phages in semen; a history of identify more murine homologues venereal disease or autoimmune in- for the other 40 odd human markers fertility may increase the frequency apart from CD4, CD5, CD8, and the
8 EI-Demiry,M.IM., Hargreave, T.B., Busuttil, A. etal. (1985) Br. J. Urol. 57, 769-774 9 Schaeffer,AJ., Wendel, E.F., Dunn, J.K. and Grayhack,J.T. (1981) J. Urol. 125, 215-219 10 Phadke,A.M. and Phadke, G.M. (1961)J. Reprod. Fertil. 2, 400--403 11 Alexander, N.J. and Anderson, D.J. (1987) Fertil. Steril. 47, 192-205 12 Comhaire, F., Verschraegon, G. and Vermeulen, L. (1980)Int. J. Androl. 3, 32-45 13 Coates, R.A., Soskolne, C.L. and Read, S.E. (Abstract) International Conference on AIDS, Paris, 1986. 14 Toth, A. and Lesser, M.L (1981)FertiL Steril. 36, 88-91 15 Alexander, N.J. and Anderson, D.J. (1979) Fertil. Steril. 32, 253-360 16 Wong, P.Y.D.,Tsang, A.Y.F., Fu, W. et al. (1983)InL J. Androl. 6, 275-282 17 Rumke, P. (1974) Clin. Exp. Immunol. 17, 287 18 Tarter, T.H. and Alexander, N.J. (1984) Am. J. Reprod. ImmunoL 6, 28-32 19 JamesK. and Hargreave,T.B. (1984) Immunol. Today 5, 357-363 20 Brooks, G.F., Lammel, C.J., Peterson, B.H. and Stites, D.P. (1981)J. Clin. Invest. 67, 1523-1529
recently defined CD3 homologue 3. Better biochemical definition of murine markers could also assist in this endeavour. It is noteworthy that both Morse and coworkers 1 when referring to human markers and Leo et al. 3 in their study characterizing the murine homologue of CD3 did not use the human CD nomenclature. Adoption of common criteria and nomenclature would make it easier for investigators to understand parallel murine and human studies. Once murinehuman homologues have been identified, the WHO-approved CD nomenclature could be used for both.
EdwardA. Clark Division of Immunology, Institute for Molecular and CellularBiology, Osaka University, Osaka565, Japan
References 1 Morse III, H.C., Shen, F.W. and Hammerling, U. (1987) Immunogenetics 25, 71-78 2. Bernard,A., Boumsell, L., Dausset,J. et a/., eds (1984) Leukocyte Typing, Springer Verlag 3 Leo, 0., Foo, M., Sachs, D. H. etal. (1987) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 84, 1374-1378
( ~ 1 9 8 7 . Elsevier P u b l i c a t i o n s . C a m b r i d g e
0167-4919/87/502.00
