T cells with distinct functional properties and ability to support replication of HIV-1

CD7, a 40-kDa glycoprotein of the Ig superfamily, is oneof the earliest molecules to appear in T cell developmentand is expressed on the majority of peripheral T and NKcells [1]. Although its function is not known it has beenimplicated in signal transduction. It is associated with atyrosine kinase whose substrate is CD45 [2] and whoseactivity correlates with its ability to modulate integrin-mediated adhesion [3]. A subset of CD7