We investigated the effects of early human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection (HIV-1) on CD4- and CD28-mediated co-signaling of the T cell receptor (TCR)/CD3 complex in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). CD4 ligation either alone or in conjunction with TCR occupancy resulted in abrogated signaling shown by impaired co-association of the tyrosine kinase ZAP-70 with the CD3-zeta chains in virally infected PBL. In addition, down-regulation of CD4-associated TCR signaling resulted in diminished tyrosine phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), a serine threonine kinase which is critically involved in the regulation of transcription factors. Furthermore, these aberrant CD4-driven signals rendered HIV-1-infected PBL susceptible to activation-induced cell death. By contrast, cross-linking of the TCR/CD3 complex with the CD28 receptor improved tyrosine phosphorylation of MAPK and salvaged infected PBL from activation-induced cell death. Our data demonstrate the importance of appropriate CD3, CD4 and CD28 co-stimulatory function to prevent apoptosis. The CD4-mediated signaling defects of the TCR could contribute to the loss of immunocompetent cells during HIV-1 infection via activation-induced cell death, whereas stimulation through the CD28 pathway could reverse these detrimental effects.