HIV-1 reverse transcription in cord blood lymphocytes: implications for infection of newborns

We previously demonstrated that progeny virions are not produced after infection of adult quiescent peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Molecular analysis revealed that the nonproductive nature of this infection is due to failure to complete reverse transcription of the viral genome. In this study, we examined HIV-1 reverse transcription in quiescent lymphocytes from umbilical cord blood (CBLs). Using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect the presence of reverse transcription intermediates, we found that as in PBLs from adults, reverse transcription is not completed in quiescent CBLs; instead, a partial reverse transcript is formed. Quantitative PCR analysis also showed that fewer partial reverse transcripts were found in CBLs than in PBLs. Although the relevance of this restriction in reverse transcription to vertical transmission is unclear, these data suggest that the rapid progression of disease in infected children is not due to increased permissiveness of the lymphocytes of newborns for HIV-1 infection.