AIDS/HIV
Abstract
BACKGROUND. Identifying a quantitative biomarker of neuropsychiatric dysfunction in people with HIV (PWH) remains a significant challenge in the neuroHIV field. The strongest evidence to date implicates the role of monocytes in central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction in HIV, yet no study has examined monocyte subsets in blood as a correlate and/or predictor of neuropsychiatric function in virally suppressed PWH. METHODS. In two independent cohorts of virologically suppressed women with HIV (vsWWH; n=25 and n=18), whole blood samples were obtained either in conjunction with neuropsychiatric assessments (neuropsychological [NP] test battery, self-report depression and stress-related symptom questionnaires) or one year prior to assessments. Immune cell subsets were assessed by flow cytometry. RESULTS. A higher proportion of intermediate monocytes (CD14+CD16+) was associated with lower global NP function when assessing monocytes concurrently and approximately one year before (predictive) NP testing. The same pattern was seen for executive function (mental flexibility) and processing speed. Conversely, there were no associations with monocyte subsets and depression or stress-related symptoms. Additionally, we found that a higher proportion of classical monocytes was associated with better cognition. CONCLUSION. Although it is widely accepted that lentiviral infection of the CNS targets cells of monocyte-macrophage-microglial lineage, is associated with an increase in intermediate monocytes in the blood and monocyte migration into brain, the percentage of intermediate monocytes in blood of vsWWH has not been associated with neuropsychiatric outcomes. Our findings provide evidence for a new, easily measured blood-based cognitive biomarker in vsWWH. FUNDING. R01-MH113512, R01-MH113512-S, P30-AI094189, R01-MH112391, R01-AI127142, R00-DA044838, U01-AI35004, and P30-MH075673.
Authors
Rebecca T. Veenhuis, Dionna W. Williams, Erin N. Shirk, Celina Monteiro Abreu, Edna A. Ferreira, Jennifer M. Coughlin, Todd T. Brown, Pauline M. Maki, Kathryn Anastos, Joan W. Berman, Janice E. Clements, Leah H. Rubin
Abstract
The foreskin is a site of heterosexual acquisition of HIV-1 among uncircumcised men. However, some men remain HIV-negative despite repeated, unprotected vaginal intercourse with HIV-positive partners, while others become infected after few exposures. The foreskin microbiome includes a diverse group of anaerobic bacteria that have been linked to HIV acquisition. However, these anaerobes tend to coassociate, making it difficult to determine which species might increase HIV risk and which may be innocent bystanders. Here, we show that 6 specific anaerobic bacterial species, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius, Prevotella bivia, Prevotella disiens, Dialister propionicifaciens, Dialister micraerophilus, and a genetic near neighbor of Dialister succinatiphilus, significantly increased cytokine production, recruited HIV-susceptible CD4+ T cells to the inner foreskin, and were associated with HIV acquisition. This strongly suggests that the penile microbiome increases host susceptibility to HIV and that these species are potential targets for microbiome-based prevention strategies.
Authors
Jessica L. Prodger, Alison G. Abraham, Aaron A.R. Tobian, Daniel E. Park, Maliha Aziz, Kelsey Roach, Ronald H. Gray, Lane Buchanan, Godfrey Kigozi, Ronald M. Galiwango, Joseph Ssekasanvu, James Nnamutete, Joseph Kagaayi, Rupert Kaul, Cindy M. Liu
Abstract
HIV-1 is capable of integrating its genome into that of its host cell. We examined the influence of the activation state of CD4+ T-cells, the effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and the clinical stage of HIV-1 infection on HIV-1 integration site features and selection. HIV-1 integration sites were sequenced from longitudinally sampled resting and activated CD4+ T-cells from 12 HIV-1 infected individuals. In total, 589 unique HIV-1 integration sites were analyzed: 147, 391, and 51 during primary, chronic, and late presentation of HIV-1 infection, respectively. As early as during primary HIV-1 infection and independent of the activation state of CD4+ T-cells collected on and off ART, HIV-1 integration sites were preferentially detected in recurrent integration genes (RIGs), genes associated with clonal expansion of latently HIV-1 infected CD4+ T-cells, cancer related genes, and highly expressed genes. The preference for cancer related genes was more pronounced at late stages of HIV-1 infection. Host genomic features of HIV-1 integration site selection remained stable during the course of HIV-1 infection in both resting and activated CD4+ T-cells. In summary, characteristic HIV-1 integration site features are pre-established as early as during primary HIV-1 infection and are found in both resting and activated CD4+ T-cells.
Authors
Yik Lim Kok, Valentina Vongrad, Sandra E. Chaudron, Mohaned Shilaih, Christine Leemann, Kathrin Neumann, Katharina Kusejko, Francesca Di Giallonardo, Herbert Kuster, Dominique L. Braun, Roger D. Kouyos, Huldrych F. Günthard, Karin J. Metzner
Abstract
Chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction play a key role in the development of non-AIDS related comorbidities. The aim of our study was to characterize the functional phenotype of immune cells in people living with HIV (PLHIV). We enrolled a cross-sectional cohort study of PLHIV on stable antiretroviral therapy and healthy controls. We assessed ex vivo cytokine production capacity and transcriptomics of monocytes and T-cells upon bacterial, fungal and viral stimulation. PLHIV exhibited an exacerbated pro-inflammatory profile in monocyte-derived cytokines, but not in lymphocyte-derived cytokines. Particularly, the production of the IL-1β to imiquimod, E. coli LPS and Mycobacterium tuberculosis was increased, and this production correlated with plasma concentrations of hsCRP and sCD14. This increase in monocyte responsiveness remained stable over time in subsequent blood sampling after >1year. Transcriptome analyses confirmed priming of the monocyte IL-1β pathway, consistent with a monocyte trained immunity phenotype. Increased plasma concentrations of β-glucan, a well-known inducer of trained immunity, were associated with increased innate cytokine responses. Monocytes of PLHIV exhibit a sustained pro-inflammatory immune phenotype with priming of the IL-1β pathway. Training of the innate immune system in PLHIV likely plays a role in long-term HIV complications and provides a promising therapeutic target for inflammation-related comorbidities.
Authors
Wouter A. van der Heijden, Lisa van de Wijer, Farid Keramati, Wim Trypsteen, Sofie Rutsaert, Rob ter Horst, Martin Jaeger, Hans J.P.M. Koenen, Hendrik G. Stunnenberg, Irma Joosten, Paul E. Verweij, Jan van Lunzen, Charles A. Dinarello, Leo A.B. Joosten, Linos Vandekerckhove, Mihai G. Netea, André J. van der Ven, Quirijn de Mast
Abstract
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) with CCR5– donor cells is the only treatment known to cure HIV-1 in patients with underlying malignancy. This is likely due to a donor cell–mediated graft-versus-host effect targeting HIV reservoirs. Allo-HSCT would not be an acceptable therapy for most people living with HIV due to the transplant-related side effects. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) immunotherapies specifically traffic to malignant lymphoid tissues (lymphomas) and, in some settings, are able to replace allo-HSCT. Here, we quantified the engraftment of HSC-derived, virus-directed CAR T cells within HIV reservoirs in a macaque model of HIV infection, using potentially novel IHC assays. HSC-derived CAR cells trafficked to and displayed multilineage engraftment within tissue-associated viral reservoirs, persisting for nearly 2 years in lymphoid germinal centers, the brain, and the gastrointestinal tract. Our findings demonstrate that HSC-derived CAR+ cells reside long-term and proliferate in numerous tissues relevant for HIV infection and cancer.
Authors
Isaac M. Barber-Axthelm, Valerie Barber-Axthelm, Kai Yin Sze, Anjie Zhen, Gajendra W. Suryawanshi, Irvin S.Y. Chen, Jerome A. Zack, Scott G. Kitchen, Hans-Peter Kiem, Christopher W. Peterson
Abstract
Antiretroviral therapies (ART) abrogate HIV replication; however, infection persists as long-lived reservoirs of infected cells with integrated proviruses, which re-seed replication if ART is interrupted. A central tenet of our current understanding of this persistence is that infected cells are shielded from immune recognition and elimination through a lack of antigen expression from proviruses. Efforts to cure HIV infection have therefore focused on reactivating latent proviruses to enable immune-mediated clearance, but these have yet to succeed in reducing viral reservoirs. Here, we revisited the question of whether HIV reservoirs are predominately immunologically silent from a new angle: by querying the dynamics of HIV-specific T-cell responses over long-term ART for evidence of ongoing recognition of HIV-infected cells. In longitudinal assessments, we show that the rates of change in persisting HIV Nef-specific responses, but not responses to other HIV gene products, were associated with residual frequencies of infected cells. These Nef-specific responses were highly stable over time, and disproportionately exhibited a cytotoxic, effector functional profile, indicative of recent in vivo recognition of HIV antigens. These results indicate substantial visibility of the HIV-infected cells to T-cells on stable ART, presenting both opportunities and challenges for the development of therapeutic approaches to curing infection.
Authors
Eva M. Stevenson, Adam R. Ward, Ronald Truong, Allison S. Thomas, Szu-Han Huang, Thomas R. Dilling, Sandra Terry, John K. Bui, Talia M. Mota, Ali Danesh, Guinevere Q. Lee, Andrea Gramatica, Pragya Khadka, Winiffer D. Conce Alberto, Rajesh T. Gandhi, Deborah K. McMahon, Christina M. Lalama, Ronald J. Bosch, Bernard J. Macatangay, Joshua C. Cyktor, Joseph J. Eron, John W. Mellors, R. Brad Jones
Abstract
Although many HIV cure strategies seek to expand HIV-specific CD8+ T cells to control the virus, all are likely to fail if cellular exhaustion is not prevented. A loss in stem-like memory properties (i.e., the ability to proliferate and generate secondary effector cells) is a key feature of exhaustion; little is known, however, about how these properties are regulated in human virus-specific CD8+ T cells. We found that virus-specific CD8+ T cells from humans and non-human primates naturally controlling HIV/SIV infection express more of the transcription factor, TCF-1, than non-controllers. HIV-specific CD8+ T cell TCF-1 expression correlated with memory marker expression and expansion capacity and declined with antigenic stimulation. CRISPR-Cas9 editing of TCF-1 in human primary T cells demonstrated a direct role in regulating expansion capacity. Collectively, these data suggest that TCF-1 contributes to the regulation of the stem-like memory property of secondary expansion capacity of HIV-specific CD8+ T cells, and they provide a rationale for exploring the enhancement of this pathway in T cell-based therapeutic strategies for HIV.
Authors
Rachel L. Rutishauser, Christian Deo T. Deguit, Joseph Hiatt, Franziska Blaeschke, Theodore L. Roth, Lynn Wang, Kyle A. Raymond, Carly E. Starke, Joseph C. Mudd, Wenxuan Chen, Carolyn P. Smullin, Rodrigo Matus-Nicodemos, Rebecca Hoh, Melissa R. Krone, Frederick M. Hecht, Christopher D. Pilcher, Jeffrey N. Martin, Richard A. Koup, Daniel C. Douek, Jason M. Brenchley, Rafick-Pierre Sékaly, Satish K. Pillai, Alexander Marson, Steven G. Deeks, Joseph M. McCune, Peter W. Hunt
Abstract
Despite the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy (ART), HIV persists in a latent form and remains a hurdle to eradication. CD4+ T lymphocytes harbor the majority of the HIV reservoir, but the role of individual subsets remains unclear. CD4+ T cells were sorted into central, transitional, effector memory, and naive T cells. We measured HIV DNA and performed proviral sequencing of more than 1900 proviruses in 2 subjects at 2 and 9 years after ART initiation to estimate the contribution of each subset to the reservoir. Although our study was limited to 2 subjects, we obtained comparable findings with publicly available sequences. While the HIV integration levels were lower in naive compared with memory T cells, naive cells were a major contributor to the intact proviral reservoir. Notably, proviral sequences isolated from naive cells appeared to be unique, while those retrieved from effector memory cells were mainly clonal. The number of clones increased as cells differentiated from a naive to an effector memory phenotype, suggesting naive cells repopulate the effector memory reservoir as previously shown for central memory cells. Naive T cells contribute substantially to the intact HIV reservoir and represent a significant hurdle for HIV eradication.
Authors
Emmanuele Venanzi Rullo, Marilia Rita Pinzone, LaMont Cannon, Sam Weissman, Manuela Ceccarelli, Ryan Zurakowski, Giuseppe Nunnari, Una O’Doherty
Abstract
While the RV144 HIV vaccine trial lead to moderately reduced risk of HIV acquisition, emerging data from the repeat failure of the HVTN702 trial point to the critical need to re-examine the relationships between previously identified correlates of reduced risk of protection in the RV144 study. Specifically, the induction of V2-binding, non-IgA, IgG3 antibody responses with non-neutralizing functions were linked to reduced risk of infection in RV144 vaccinees. While each of these features was individually linked to reduced risk of infection, the relationships and interactions between these humoral immune signatures remain unclear. Thus, here we comprehensively profiled the humoral immune response in 300 RV144 vaccinees to specifically decipher the relationships between humoral biomarkers of protection and susceptibility. Here, we found that vaccine-specific IgG1, IgG3, and IgA were highly correlated. However, ratios of IgG1:IgG3:IgA provided new insights into subclass/isotype polyclonal functional regulation. For instance, in the absence of high IgG1 levels, IgG3 antibodies exhibited limited functional activity, pointing to IgG3 as a critical contributor, but not sole driver, of more effective antiviral humoral immunity. Moreover, in contrast to previous findings, higher IgA levels were linked to enhanced antibody effector function, including neutrophil phagocytosis (ADNP), complement deposition (ADCD) and NK degranulation (CD107a). Several IgA-associated functions were increased in infected vaccinees in a case:control dataset, suggesting that rather than blocking, IgA may have driven deleterious functions, thereby compromising immunity. These data highlight the interplay between IgG1, IgG3 and IgA, pointing to the critical need to deeply profile the relationships between subclass/isotype selection.
Authors
Stephanie Fischinger, Sepideh Dolatshahi, Madeleine F. Jennewein, Supachai Rerks-Ngarm, Punnee Pitisuttithum, Sorachai Nitayaphan, Nelson L. Michael, Sandhya Vasan, Margaret E Ackerman, Hendrik Streeck, Galit Alter
Abstract
The integration of HIV DNA into the host genome contributes to lifelong infection in most individuals. Few studies have examined integration in lymphoid tissue, where HIV predominantly persists before and after antiretroviral treatment (ART). Of particular interest is whether integration site distributions differ between infection stages with paired blood and tissue comparisons. Here, we profiled HIV integration site distributions in sorted memory, tissue resident, and/or follicular helper CD4+ T-cell subsets from paired blood and lymphoid tissue samples from acute, chronic, and ART-treated individuals (n=3 each). We observed minor differences in the frequency of non-intronic and non-distal intergenic sites varying with tissue and residency phenotypes during ART. Genomic and epigenetic annotations were generally similar. Clonal expansion of cells marked by identical integration sites was detected, with increased detection in chronic and ART-treated individuals. However, overlap between or within CD4+ T-cell subsets or tissue compartments was only observed in 8 unique sites out of 3,540 sites studied. Together, these findings suggest that shared integration sites between blood and tissue may, depending on the tissue site, be the exception rather than the rule, and indicate that additional studies are necessary to fully understand the heterogeneity of tissue sequestered HIV reservoirs.
Authors
Vincent H. Wu, Christopher L Nobles, Leticia Kuri-Cervantes, Kevin McCormick, John K. Everett, Son Nguyen, Perla M. del Río Estrada, Mauricio González-Navarro, Santiago Ávila-Ríos, Gustavo Reyes-Terán, Frederic D. Bushman, Michael R. Betts
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