Alfa-defensins are the Missed CD8+ Antiviral Factor

With major expectation in the audience, DavidHo presented, at the 42nd ICAAC, held lastSeptember in San Diego, his new findings onHIV pathogenesis, which in parallel appearedpublished in Science during those days (Zhanget al. Science 2002;297:2234-9). Ho, et al.claim the identification of the missed solubleCD8+ antiviral factor (CAF) postulated by JayLevy for more than one decade (Mackewicz, etal. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 1992;8:1039-50). Levy’s group postulated that an unknownproduct released by CD8+ T-cells producedinhibition of HIV replication and was responsiblefor the non-cytotoxic activity of these cells.The activity of CAF did not involve HLA class I.They estimated its molecular weight to be lowerthan 20 KDa.