T cell telomere length in HIV-1 infection: No evidence for increased CD4⁺ T cell turnover

Progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been related to exhaustion of the regenerative capacity of the immune system resulting from high T cell turnover. Analysis of telomeric terminal restriction fragment (TRF) length, a marker for cellular replicative history, showed that CD8⁺ T cell TRF length decreased but CD4⁺ T cell TRF length was stable during the course of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) infection, which was not explained by differential telomerase activity. This observation provides evidence that turnover in the course of HIV-1 infection can be increased considerably in CD8⁺ T cells, but not in CD4⁺ T cells. These results are compatible with CD4⁺ T cell decline in HIV-1 infection caused by interference with cell renewal.