Primate lentiviral Nef proteins deregulate T-cell development by multiple mechanisms Universiteit Antwerpen Universiteit Gent
Background: A nef gene is present in all primate lentiviral genomes and is important for high viral loads and progression to AIDS in human or experimental macaque hosts of HIV or SIV, respectively. In these hosts, infection of the thymus results in a decreased output of naive T cells that may contribute to the development of immunodeficiency. We have previously shown that HIV-1 subtype B Nef proteins can block human T-cell development. However, ...