[HTML][HTML] Persistence of viral RNA in lymph nodes in ART-suppressed SIV/SHIV-infected Rhesus Macaques

AM Cadena, JD Ventura, P Abbink… - Nature …, 2021 - nature.com
AM Cadena, JD Ventura, P Abbink, EN Borducchi, H Tuyishime, NB Mercado
Nature communications, 2021nature.com
The establishment of a long-lived viral reservoir is the key obstacle for achieving an HIV-1
cure. However, the anatomic, virologic, and immunologic features of the viral reservoir in
tissues during antiretroviral therapy (ART) remain poorly understood. Here we present a
comprehensive necroscopic analysis of the SIV/SHIV viral reservoir in multiple lymphoid and
non-lymphoid tissues from SIV/SHIV-infected rhesus macaques suppressed with ART for
one year. Viral DNA is observed broadly in multiple tissues and is comparable in animals …
Abstract
The establishment of a long-lived viral reservoir is the key obstacle for achieving an HIV-1 cure. However, the anatomic, virologic, and immunologic features of the viral reservoir in tissues during antiretroviral therapy (ART) remain poorly understood. Here we present a comprehensive necroscopic analysis of the SIV/SHIV viral reservoir in multiple lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues from SIV/SHIV-infected rhesus macaques suppressed with ART for one year. Viral DNA is observed broadly in multiple tissues and is comparable in animals that had initiated ART at week 1 or week 52 of infection. In contrast, viral RNA is restricted primarily to lymph nodes. Ongoing viral RNA transcription is not the result of unsuppressed viral replication, as single-genome amplification and subsequent phylogenetic analysis do not show evidence of viral evolution. Gag-specific CD8+ T cell responses are predominantly observed in secondary lymphoid organs in animals chronically infected prior to ART and these responses are dominated by CD69+ populations. Overall, we observe that the viral reservoir in rhesus macaques is widely distributed across multiple tissue sites and that lymphoid tissues act as a site of persistent viral RNA transcription under conditions of long-term ART suppression.
nature.com