Limited HIV infection of central memory and stem cell memory CD4+ T cells is associated with lack of progression in viremic individuals (original) (raw)

Quantifying Susceptibility of CD4+ Stem Memory T-Cells to Infection by Laboratory Adapted and Clinical HIV-1 Strains

Viruses, 2014

CD4 + T cells are principal targets for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. CD4 + T cell subsets are heterogeneous cell populations, divided by functional and phenotypic differences into naï ve and memory T cells. The memory CD4 + T cells are further segregated into central, effector and transitional memory cell subsets by functional, phenotypic and homeostatic characteristics. Defining the distribution of HIV-1 infection in different T cell subsets is important, as this can play a role in determining the size and composition of the viral reservoir. Both central memory and transitional memory CD4 + T cells have been described as long-lived viral reservoirs for HIV. Recently, the newly described stem memory T cell subset has also been implicated as a long-lived HIV

HIV dynamics linked to memory CD4+ T cell homeostasis

PloS one, 2017

The dynamics of latent HIV is linked to infection and clearance of resting memory CD4+ T cells. Infection also resides within activated, non-dividing memory cells and can be impacted by antigen-driven and homeostatic proliferation despite suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART). We investigated whether plasma viral level (pVL) and HIV DNA dynamics could be explained by HIV's impact on memory CD4+ T cell homeostasis. Median total, 2-LTR and integrated HIV DNA levels per μL of peripheral blood, for 8 primary (PHI) and 8 chronic HIV infected (CHI) individuals enrolled on a raltegravir (RAL) based regimen, exhibited greatest changes over the 1st year of ART. Dynamics slowed over the following 2 years so that total HIV DNA levels were equivalent to reported values for individuals after 10 years of ART. The mathematical model reproduced the multiphasic dynamics of pVL, and levels of total, 2-LTR and integrated HIV DNA in both PHI and CHI over 3 years of ART. Under these simulations, ...

Cycling Memory CD4 + T Cells in HIV Disease Have a Diverse T Cell Receptor Repertoire and a Phenotype Consistent with Bystander Activation

Journal of Virology, 2014

The mechanisms of increased memory CD4 ؉ T cell cycling in HIV disease are incompletely understood but have been linked to antigen stimulation, homeostatic signals, or exposure to microbial products and the inflammatory cytokines that they induce. We examined the phenotype and V␤ family distribution in cycling memory CD4 ؉ T cells among 52 healthy and 59 HIV-positive (HIV ؉) donors. Cycling memory CD4 ؉ T cells were proportionally more frequent in subjects with HIV infection than in controls, more often expressed CD38 and PD-1, and less frequently expressed OX40 and intracellular CD40L. OX40 expression on memory CD4 ؉ T cells was induced in vitro by anti-CD3, interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-7, or IL-15 but not by Toll-like receptor ligands. In HIV ؉ donors, memory CD4 ؉ T cell cycling was directly related to plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels, to plasma HIV RNA levels, and to memory CD8 ؉ T cell cycling and was inversely related to peripheral blood CD4 ؉ T cell counts but not to the levels of IL-2, IL-7, or IL-15, while in HIV-negative donors, memory CD4 ؉ T cell cycling was related to IL-7 levels and negatively related to the plasma levels of LPS. In both controls and HIV ؉ donors, cycling memory CD4 ؉ T cells had a broad distribution of V␤ families comparable to that of noncycling cells. Increased memory CD4 ؉ T cell cycling in HIV disease is reflective of generalized immune activation and not driven primarily by cognate peptide stimulation or exposure to common gamma-chain cytokines. This cycling may be a consequence of exposure to microbial products, to plasma viremia, or, otherwise, to proinflammatory cytokines. IMPORTANCE This work provides evidence that the increased memory CD4 ؉ T cell cycling in HIV infection is not a result of cognate peptide recognition but, rather, is more likely related to the inflammatory environment of HIV infection.

HIV-1 residual viremia correlates with persistent T-cell activation in poor immunological responders to combination antiretroviral therapy

PloS one, 2009

The clinical significance and cellular sources of residual human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) production despite suppressive combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) remain unclear and the effect of low-level viremia on T-cell homeostasis is still debated. We characterized the recently produced residual viruses in the plasma and short-lived blood monocytes of 23 patients with various immunological responses to sustained suppressive cART. We quantified the residual HIV-1 in the plasma below 50 copies/ml, and in the CD14(high) CD16(-) and CD16+ monocyte subsets sorted by flow cytometry, and predicted coreceptor usage by genotyping V3 env sequences. We detected residual viremia in the plasma of 8 of 10 patients with poor CD4+ T-cell reconstitution in response to cART and in only 5 of 13 patients with good CD4+ T-cell reconstitution. CXCR4-using viruses were frequent among the recently produced viruses in the plasma and in the main CD14(high) CD16(-) monocyte subset. Finally, ...

A transcriptome-based model of central memory CD4 T cell death in HIV infection

BMC Genomics, 2016

Background: Human central memory CD4 T cells are characterized by their capacity of proliferation and differentiation into effector memory CD4 T cells. Homeostasis of central memory CD4 T cells is considered a key factor sustaining the asymptomatic stage of Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, while progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is imputed to central memory CD4 T cells homeostatic failure. We investigated if central memory CD4 T cells from patients with HIV-1 infection have a gene expression profile impeding proliferation and survival, despite their activated state. Methods: Using gene expression microarrays, we analyzed mRNA expression patterns in naive, central memory, and effector memory CD4 T cells from healthy controls, and naive and central memory CD4 T cells from patients with HIV-1 infection. Differentially expressed genes, defined by Log 2 Fold Change (FC) ≥ |0.5| and Log (odds) > 0, were used in pathway enrichment analyses. Results: Central memory CD4 T cells from patients and controls showed comparable expression of differentiation-related genes, ruling out an effector-like differentiation of central memory CD4 T cells in HIV infection. However, 210 genes were differentially expressed in central memory CD4 T cells from patients compared with those from controls. Expression of 75 of these genes was validated by semi quantitative RT-PCR, and independently reproduced enrichment results from this gene expression signature. The results of functional enrichment analysis indicated movement to cell cycle phases G1 and S (increased CCNE1, MKI67, IL12RB2, ADAM9, decreased FGF9, etc.), but also arrest in G2/M (increased CHK1, RBBP8, KIF11, etc.). Unexpectedly, the results also suggested decreased apoptosis (increased CSTA, NFKBIA, decreased RNASEL, etc.). Results also suggested increased IL-1β, IFN-γ, TNF, and RANTES (CCR5) activity upstream of the central memory CD4 T cells signature, consistent with the demonstrated milieu in HIV infection. Conclusions: Our findings support a model where progressive loss of central memory CD4 T cells in chronic HIV-1 infection is driven by increased cell cycle entry followed by mitotic arrest, leading to a non-apoptotic death pathway without actual proliferation, possibly contributing to increased turnover.