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Updated: Aug 21, 2026
Chronic, Acute, and Reactivated HIV Infection in Humanized Immunodeficient Mouse Models
Published on: December 3, 2019
VH3 gene expression in children with HIV infection
Qing Chang1, Jacobo Abadi, Michael Rosenberg
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
Objective:
To study immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (V(H)) gene expression in HIV-uninfected (HIV-) and HIV-infected (HIV+) children.
Methods:
A retrospective, observational study was performed by PCR-ELISA to examine IgM and IgG V(H) gene family expression among peripheral CD19-positive B cells. The subjects were 10 HIV+ children with, and 11 HIV+ children without a history of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and 12 HIV- children. The ages of the HIV+ and HIV- children, and the CD4 lymphocyte counts and viral loads (VL) of the HIV+ /IPD- and HIV+ /IPD- children were statistically similar. Rearranged V(H)3 gene libraries were constructed from 3 HIV+ /IPD- children to examine individual gene expression.
Results:
The proportion of IgG V(H)3 expression among HIV+ /IPD- was lower than that of HIV- children, but the proportion of IgG V(H)3 expression among HIV+ /IPD+ children was not significantly different from that of HIV- children. IgG V(H)3 expression was positively, whereas IgM V(H)3 expression was inversely correlated with the VL among HIV+ /IPD+, but not HIV+ /IPD- children. IgM V(H) gene family expression did not differ between HIV+ and HIV- children.
Conclusion:
HIV+ children manifest qualitative and quantitative differences in V(H)3 expression, which may be influenced by IPD.
