Effects of thymus humoral factor gamma-2 (THF gamma 2) on lymphohaematopoietic progenitor cells: an in vitro study.

Thymus humoral factor gamma-2 (THF gamma 2), an immunomodulatory factor, was previously shown to exert a regulatory effect upon human haematopoietic development. In the present study, we were primarily interested in determining whether THF gamma 2 has an immunorestorative effect after HIV infection. Although no inhibition of viral production by T-cluster-forming cells and their mature progeny was observed, this thymus-derived compound prevented the dramatic decrease in CD4+ cells observed in cultures of immature T cells from normal bone marrow infected with HIV 1.