AEGiS-14IAC: Discovery of speckles of crystalloid, fingerprints, plasmid-like structures and strange creatures with coffin raises the question: what is HIV virus?

14th International AIDS Conference

Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

Discovery of speckles of crystalloid, fingerprints, plasmid-like structures and strange creatures with coffin raises the question: what is HIV virus?

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. A10019)

Radovanovic J, Korac A, Jankovic-Hladni M, Koko V
Faculty of Biology, Institute of Zoology, Belgrade, Yugoslavia

BACKGROUND: Speckles, as morphological expression of nucleo-cytoplasmatic exchange is a term given by biochemics for Rev protein and a part of viral mRNA leaving nucleus. In order to investigate nuclei and cytoplasm of lymphocytes and monocytes of AIDS patients basic magnification of 30-50.000x was used. Immunological loci of infiltrated lymphocytes of liver tissue were investigated.

METHODS: After biopsy, liver specimens were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.2), and postfixed in 2% osmium tetroxide in the same buffer. After dehydration, through a series of alcohol solutions of increasing strength, the specimens were embedded in Araldite. The blocks were trimmed and sections cut with glass knives on an LKB III ultramicrotome. Ultrathin sections were mounted on copper grids, stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate and then examined on a Philips MC 12 transmission electron microscope.

RESULTS: Infiltrated lymphocytes and monocytes of AIDS patients have precursor speckles in the nucleus and perinuclear cistern. They contain a stalk and there is an angular structure is in its centre. Through cytoplasm we may observe a mass of circular structures around speckles following them to the site of exocytosis. Pentameric and hexameric plasmid-like structures are associated with the speckles. On the periphery of lymphocytes vacuoles surrounded by these structures were observed. Extracellularly, fingerprints structures along a creature containing coffin, protuberances and a swallow-tailed particle.

CONCLUSION: We present new findings concerning the speckles formation in the lymphocyte and monocyte nuclei of AIDS patients. Our morphological study of different particles and structures in cytoplasm suggests that they originate from speckles.

Keywords: AEGIS, Plasma Substitutes, Staining and Labeling, Osmium Tetroxide, Glutaral, crystalloid, Human, classification

020707
A10019