Development of Soluble CD95 for AIDS Therapy

T lymphocytes from HIV- infected patients (HIV+) are more susceptible to apoptosis than HIV- serone(HIV-) individuals. The investigators have shown enhanced levels of apoptosis and elevated levels ofsignalling cell surface glycoprotein, on T cells from HIV+ participants of the San Francisco Men's Hin comparison to HIV- controls. They have also reported that increased CD95 expression is associatednumbers of CD4+ cells in HIV+ patients, suggesting that CD95 may be involved in immune deteriorationindividuals. They have recently shown that a novel soluble form of CD95, discovered at LXR and the Uable to completely inhibit mitogen-stimulated apoptosis of lymphocytes from HIV+ individuals furtherCD95 and/or its ligand are involved. Our goal is to measure T cell surface levels and serum levels oand the CD95 ligand in healthy and HIV+ individuals in order to define their role in the disease prolevels of these molecules would suggest a rationale for the development of a soluble CD95 based ther