Productive Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 Infection of Megakaryocytic Cells is Enhanced by Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Recent findings have indicated that megakaryocytes may be susceptible to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, suggesting a potential role for megakaryocytes as viral reservoirs in HIV-infected patients. We report that the megakaryocytic cell line Dami could be productively infected with the HTLV III-B strain of HIV-1, in 26 different experiments (results of 16 experiments are reported); productive infection lasted up to 30 weeks. Despite a lack of detectable surface expression of the CD4 molecule and very low levels of CD4 mRNA, between 40% and 60% of megakaryocytic cells produced viral proteins after contact with HIV-1. Neither cytopathogenic effects nor syncytial formation was observed. Production of high levels of functional viral particles was indicated by analysis of p24 protein levels, reverse transcriptase activity, ultrastructural studies, and the capacity of supernatants from infected Dami cells to infect the Molt-4 T-lymphocytic cell line. HIV-1 RNA and protein levels in infected Dami cells were enhanced by treatment with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and decreased by treatment with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) and IFN-gamma. Transient transfection of the megakaryocytic cells with various constructs of the HIV-1 promoter (LTR) linked to the luciferase reporter gene suggested that the effect of TNF-alpha was related, as in monocytic and T-cell lines, to transactivation of the enhancer region of the HIV-1 LTR. These findings indicate that signals provided by the immune system may modulate HIV-1 expression in cells of the megakaryocytic lineage.