Control of immunodeficiency and lymphoproliferation in mouse AIDS: studies of mice deficient in CD8+ T cells or perforin

CD8+ T cells were previously shown to be important in preventing lymphoproliferation and immunodeficiency following infection of murine AIDS (MAIDS)-resistant mice with the LP-BM5 mixture of murine leukemia viruses. To further evaluate the mechanisms contributing to MAIDS resistance, we studied mice lacking CD8+ T cells or deficient in perforin due to knockout of the beta2-microglobulin (beta2M) or perforin gene, respectively. In contrast to wild-type, MAIDS-resistant controls, B10.A mice homozygous for the beta2M mutation and B10.D2 mice homozygous for the perforin mutation were diagnosed as having MAIDS by 5 to 8 weeks after infection by the criteria of lymphoproliferation, impaired proliferative responses to mitogens, and changes in cell populations as judged by histopathology and flow cytometry. Unexpectedly, there was no progression of lymphoproliferation through 24 weeks, even though immune functions were severely compromised. Expression of the defective virus responsible for MAIDS was enhanced in spleens of the knockouts in comparison with wild-type mice. These results demonstrate that perforin-dependent functions of CD8+ T cells contribute to MAIDS resistance but that other, non-CD8-dependent mechanisms are of equal or greater importance.