Interleukin-7 enhances proliferation responses to T-cell receptor stimulation in naive CD4+ T cells from human immunodeficiency virus-infected persons

Proliferation responses of naive CD4(+) T cells to T-cell receptor and interieukin-7 (IL-7) stimulation were evaluated by using cells from human immunodeficiency virus-positive (HIV+) donors. IL-7 enhanced responses to T-cell receptor stimulation, and the magnitude of this enhancement was similar in cells from healthy controls and from HIV+ subjects. The overall response to T-cell receptor stimulation alone or in combination with IL-7, however, was diminished among viremic HIV+ donors and occurred independent of antigen-presenting cells. Frequencies of CD127(+) cells were related to the magnitudes of proliferation enhancement that were mediated by IL-7. Thus, IL-7 enhances but does not fully restore the function of naive CD4(+) T cells from HIV-infected persons.