Abstract

Altered neutrophil function may contribute to the development of AIDS during the course of HIV infection It has been described that Nef, a regulatory protein from HIV, can modulate superoxide production in other cells, therefore altered superoxide production in neutrophils from HIV Infected patients, could be secondary to a direct effect of Nef on components of the NADPH oxidase complex In this work, we describe that Nef, was capable of increasing superoxide production in human neutrophils Furthermore, a specific association between Nef and p22-phox, a membrane component of the NADPH oxidase complex, was found. We propose that this association may reflect a capability of Nef to modulate by direct association, the enzymatic complex responsible for one of the most efficient innate defense mechanisms in phagocytes, contributing to the pathogenesis of the disease (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved