CD4 dim CD8 bright T cells are inversely associated with neuro-inflammatory markers among people with HIV.

OBJECTIVE: HIV-associated neuroinflammation persists in the brain despite suppressive combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). We evaluated associations between a subset of CD8 + T cells, termed CD4 dim CD8 bright T cells, and soluble markers of immune activation and/or neuroinflammation in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma of people with HIV (PWH). DESIGN: Fifteen cART-naive PWH were enrolled and underwent blood draw, lumbar puncture for CSF collection, and neuropsychological tests at week 0 (pre-cART) and 24 weeks after cART initiation. METHODS: CSF and peripheral blood T cells were evaluated with flow cytometry and soluble markers of immune activation were measured by multiplex and singleplex assays. Spearman bootstrap correlation coefficients with 10 000 resamples were computed and reported with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each marker of interest and T-cell type. RESULTS: The frequency of CSF CD4 dim CD8 bright T cells at week 0 was inversely related with CSF neopterin. In contrast, at week 24, CSF CD4 - CD8 + T cells were positively correlated with CSF s100ß, a marker of brain injury. In the blood, at week 0, CD4 dim CD8 bright T cells were inversely correlated with MCP-1, IP-10, IL-8, IL-6, G-CSF, and APRIL and positively correlated with plasma RANTES and MMP1. At week 0, the frequency of blood CD4 - CD8 + were positively correlated with CRP and BAFF. CONCLUSION: CD4 dim CD8 bright T cells are associated with some anti-inflammatory properties, whereas CD4 - CD8 + T cells may contribute to inflammation and injury. Assessing the contrast between these two cell populations in neuroHIV may inform targeted therapeutic intervention to reduce neuroinflammation and associated neurocognitive impairment.

CD4dim CD8bright T Cells Home to the Brain and Mediate HIV Neuroinvasion.

CD4dim CD8bright T cells are a mature population of CD8+ T cells that upon activation upregulate CD4 dimly on their surface. Expression of CD4 on these cells suggests that they can be an additional source of HIV neuroinvasion and persistence in the brain. We used HIV-infected NOD/SCID/IL-2rcγ-/- (NSG) humanized mice to track CD4dim CD8bright T cell homing to the brain and define their role in HIV dissemination into the brain. We report here that CD4dim CD8bright T cells are found in the brain at a median frequency of 2.6% and in the spleen at median frequency of 7.6% of CD3+ T cells. In the brain, 10 to 20% of CD4dim CD8bright T cells contain integrated provirus, which is infectious as demonstrated by viral outgrowth assay. CD4dim CD8bright T cells in the brain exhibited significantly higher expression of the brain homing receptors CX3CR1 and CXCR3 in comparison to their single-positive CD8+ T cell counterpart. Blocking lymphocyte trafficking into the brain of humanized mice via anti-VLA4 and anti-LFA1 antibodies reduced CD4dim CD8bright T cell trafficking into the brain by 60% and diminished brain HIV proviral DNA by 72%. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that CD4dim CD8bright T cells can home to the brain and support productive HIV replication. These studies also reveal for the first time that CD4dim CD8bright T cells are capable of HIV neuroinvasion and are a reservoir for HIV. IMPORTANCE We report here a seminal finding of a novel population of T cells, termed CD4dim CD8bright T cells, that plays a role in HIV neuroinvasion and is a reservoir for HIV in the brain.

Wnt/ß-Catenin Protects Lymphocytes from HIV-Mediated Apoptosis via Induction of Bcl-xL.

HIV infection mediates the apoptosis of lymphocytes, the mechanism of which is multifaceted. Here, we evaluated the role of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in HIV-associated T cell apoptosis, as Wnt/ß-catenin regulates the transcriptional activity of genes impacting apoptosis. We specifically investigated the role of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in the HIV-associated apoptosis of CD4+ T cells and CD4dimCD8bright T cells, a population that is infected by HIV. We found that the induction of ß-catenin, via a 6-bromoindirubin-3-oxime (BIO), significantly rescued HIV-infected CD4+ and CD4dimCD8bright T cells from apoptosis by >40−50%. Further, a small-molecule inhibitor of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway (PNU-74654) reversed BIO-mediated protection from HIV-associated apoptosis. BIO also induced Bcl-xL, an anti-apoptotic protein, and a target gene of Wnt/ß-catenin, in CD4+ and CD4dimCD8bright T cells by approximately 3-fold. Inhibiting Bcl-xL by WEHI-539 abrogated ß-catenin-mediated apoptotic protection in infected CD4+ and CD4dimCD8bright T cells. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that engaging Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in HIV-infected T cells protects them from HIV-associated apoptosis by inducing Bcl-xL.

Overriding impaired FPR chemotaxis signaling in diabetic neutrophil stimulates infection control in murine diabetic wound.

Infection is a major co-morbidity that contributes to impaired healing in diabetic wounds. Although impairments in diabetic neutrophils have been blamed for this co-morbidity, what causes these impairments and whether they can be overcome, remain largely unclear. Diabetic neutrophils, isolated from diabetic individuals, exhibit chemotaxis impairment but this peculiar functional impairment has been largely ignored because it appears to contradict the clinical findings which blame excessive neutrophil influx as a major impediment to healing in chronic diabetic ulcers. Here, we report that exposure to glucose in diabetic range results in impaired chemotaxis signaling through the formyl peptide receptor (FPR) in neutrophils, culminating in reduced chemotaxis and delayed neutrophil trafficking in the wound of Leprdb (db/db) type two diabetic mice, rendering diabetic wound vulnerable to infection. We further show that at least some auxiliary receptors remain functional under diabetic conditions and their engagement by the pro-inflammatory cytokine CCL3, overrides the requirement for FPR signaling and substantially improves infection control by jumpstarting the neutrophil trafficking toward infection, and stimulates healing in diabetic wound. We posit that CCL3 may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers if it is applied topically after the surgical debridement process which is intended to reset chronic ulcers into acute fresh wounds.

ß-Catenin Restricts Zika Virus Internalization by Downregulating Axl.

The latest outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas was associated with significant neurologic complications, including microcephaly of newborns. We evaluated mechanisms that regulate ZIKV entry into human fetal astrocytes (HFAs). Astrocytes are key players in maintaining brain homeostasis. We show that the central mediator of canonical Wnt signaling, ß-catenin, regulates Axl, a receptor for ZIKV infection of HFAs, at the transcriptional level. In turn, ZIKV inhibited ß-catenin, potentially as a mechanism to overcome its restriction of ZIKV internalization through regulation of Axl. This was evident with three ZIKV strains tested but not with a laboratory-adapted strain which has a large deletion in its envelope gene. Finally, we show that ß-catenin-mediated Axl-dependent internalization of ZIKV may be of increased importance for brain cells, as it regulated ZIKV infection of astrocytes and human brain microvascular cells but not kidney epithelial (Vero) cells. Collectively, our studies reveal a role for ß-catenin in ZIKV infection and highlight a dynamic interplay between ZIKV and ß-catenin to modulate ZIKV entry into susceptible target cells. IMPORTANCE ZIKV is an emerging pathogen with sporadic outbreaks throughout the world. The most recent outbreak in North America was associated with small brains (microcephaly) in newborns. We studied the mechanism(s) that may regulate ZIKV entry into astrocytes. Astrocytes are a critical resident brain cell population with diverse functions that maintain brain homeostasis, including neurogenesis and neuronal survival. We show that three ZIKV strains (and not a heavily laboratory-adapted strain with a large deletion in its envelope gene) require Axl for internalization. Most importantly, we show that ß-catenin, the central mediator of canonical Wnt signaling, negatively regulates Axl at the transcriptional level to prevent ZIKV internalization into human fetal astrocytes. To overcome this restriction, ZIKV downregulates ß-catenin to facilitate Axl expression. This highlights a dynamic host-virus interaction whereby ZIKV inhibits ß-catenin to promote its internalization into human fetal astrocytes through the induction of Axl.

IL-12 p40 monomer is different from other IL-12 family members to selectively inhibit IL-12Rß1 internalization and suppress EAE.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common human demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. The IL-12 family of cytokines has four members, which are IL-12 (p40:p35), IL-23 (p40:p19), the p40 monomer (p40), and the p40 homodimer (p402). Since all four members contain p40 in different forms, it is important to use a specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) to characterize these molecules. Here, by using such mAbs, we describe selective loss of p40 in serum of MS patients as compared to healthy controls. Similarly, we also observed decrease in p40 and increase in IL-12, IL-23, and p402 in serum of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS, as compared to control mice. Interestingly, weekly supplementation of mouse and human recombinant p40 ameliorated clinical symptoms and disease progression of EAE. On the other hand, IL-12, IL-23, and p402 did not exhibit such inhibitory effect. In addition to EAE, p40 also suppressed collagen-induced arthritis in mice. Using IL-12Rß1-/-, IL-12Rß2-/-, and IL-12Rß1+/-/IL-12Rß2-/- mice, we observed that p40 required IL-12Rß1, but not IL-12Rß2, to suppress EAE. Interestingly, p40 arrested IL-12-, IL-23-, or p402-mediated internalization of IL-12Rß1, but neither IL-12Rß2 nor IL-23R, protected regulatory T cells, and suppressed Th1 and Th17 biasness. These studies identify p40 as an anti-autoimmune cytokine with a biological role different from IL-12, IL-23, and p402 in which it attenuates autoimmune signaling via suppression of IL-12Rß1 internalization, which may be beneficial in patients with MS and other autoimmune disorders.