Expression of the Fas antigen in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date. Expression of the Fas antigen in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus. Lymphocytes from patients with HIV infection have been shown to undergo accelerated apoptosis.
Fas antigen is a cell surface protein known to initiate an apoptotic signal.
Therefore, we undertook a study to examine the expression of the Fas antigen during HIV infection. This percentage was significantly increased in CD4 cells from HIV infected patients belonging to CDC category 3, but was unchanged from normal values in CDC category 2 subjects. These results demonstrate that an increase in Fas antigen expression occurs during HIV infection. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1996.