In the "similar replication" cohort p24 production was, expectedly, statistically indistinguishable between both viruses (wt: 253.0 ± 14.7 vs Δnef: 202.1 ± 7.0; p = 0.26; mean values) (Fig. 3B), but wt HIV-1 infection still resulted in a more pronounced CD4+ T lymphocyte depletion than HIV-1Δnef infection (wt: 84.4 ± 2.2% vs Δnef: 57.2 ± 2.0%, mean values), with a high statistical significance (p < 0.0001). This evidence concerns the gene CD4 and HIV-1 infection.