Diagnostic value of the determination of an interferon-induced enzyme activity: decreased 2',5'-oligoadenylate dependent binding protein activity in AIDS patient lymphocytes.

The 2, 5'-oligoadenylate dependent binding protein activity was measured in peripheral blood lymphocyte extracts of AIDS and pre-AIDS and compared to healthy heterosexual controls. The binding activity in lymphocytes from AIDS (mean, 0.71 fmole/10(6) cells) and pre-AIDS (mean, 0.66 fmole/10(6) cells) was approximately 65% lower than that found in controls (mean, 2.41 fmole/10(6) cells) suggesting that this enzymatic activity may be a useful biochemical marker for the diagnosis of AIDS.