CD4.CD8 ratio decrease in AIDS, explained by a molecular mimicry between African HIV-1 Nef and Notch-1. Nef as a target for vaccine and NF-Kb inhibitors (salicylate, resveratrol,curcumin, epigallocatechine-3-gallate)

Abstract

Background The AIDS hallmark is the simultaneous fall in CD4 and rise in CD8 T lymphocytes. Interestingly, this very pathognomonic but unexplained decrease of CD4/CD8 ratio is also characteristic of a member of the EGF family, Notch1 function (Fowlkes BJ, 2002). Calenda V (1994) found that Nef hampered drastically bone marrow progenitors cells functionality. African HIV-1 strain NDK (Spire B, 1989), which induced a fulminant AIDS killing the patient in only 15 days, decreases dramatically CD4 counts. Nef is the most abundant HIV-1 protein in infected cells (85% of mRNA). Nef is a superantigen, its action is amplified 10,000 times compared to a common antigen.