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Resting Regulatory CD4 T Cells: A Site of HIV Persistence in Patients on Long-Term Effective Antiretroviral Therapy.
- Source :
- PLoS ONE; 2008, Vol. 3 Issue 10, p1-11, 11p, 2 Charts, 4 Graphs
- Publication Year :
- 2008
-
Abstract
- Background: In HIV-infected patients on long-term HAART, virus persistence in resting long-lived CD4 T cells is a major barrier to curing the infection. Cell quiescence, by favouring HIV latency, reduces the risk of recognition and cell destruction by cytotoxic lymphocytes. Several cell-activation-based approaches have been proposed to disrupt cell quiescence and then virus latency, but these approaches have not eradicated the virus. CD4<superscript>+</superscript>CD25<superscript>+</superscript> regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a CD4<superscript>+</superscript> T-cell subset with particular activation properties. We investigated the role of these cells in virus persistence in patients on long-term HAART. Methodology/Principal Findings: We found evidence of infection of resting Tregs (HLADR<superscript>-</superscript>CD69<superscript>-</superscript>CD25<superscript>hi</superscript>FoxP3<superscript>+</superscript>CD4<superscript>+</superscript> T cells) purified from patients on prolonged HAART. HIV DNA harbouring cells appear more abundant in the Treg subset than in non-Tregs. The half-life of the Treg reservoir was estimated at 20 months. Since Tregs from patients on prolonged HAART showed hyporesponsiveness to cell activation and inhibition of HIV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte-related functions upon activation, therapeutics targeting cell quiescence to induce virus expression may not be appropriate for purging the Treg reservoir. Conclusions: Our results identify Tregs as a particular compartment within the latent reservoir that may require a specific approach for its purging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19326203
- Volume :
- 3
- Issue :
- 10
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- PLoS ONE
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 55701002
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0003305