ABSTRACT
Sterile α motif and histidine/aspartic acid domaincontaining protein 1 (SAMHD1) can inhibit reverse transcription of human immunodeficiency virus1 (HIV1) by hydrolyzing intracellular deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate. However, its role in HIV1 disease progression has not been extensively studied. To study the impacts of SAMHD1 on HIV1 disease progression, especially on DNA levels, we investigated SAMHD1 levels in the peripheral blood of HIV1 elite controllers (ECs), antiretroviral therapy (ART) naive viremic progressors (VPs) and patients with HIV1 receiving ART (HIVARTs) compared with healthy controls. In addition, the present study analyzed the relationship between SAMHD1 and interferonα, immune activation and HIV1 DNA levels. The results of the present study demonstrated elevated SAMHD1 expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of all patients withHIV1, but higher SAMHD1 expression in the CD4+ T cells of only ECs compared with healthy controls. Immune activation was increased in the VPs and decreased in the ECs compared with healthy controls. Substantially lower HIV1 DNA levels were identified in ECs compared with those in VPs and HIVARTs. SAMHD1 expression was associated with low levels of immune activation. No significant correlation was observed between SAMHD1 and HIV1 DNA levels. Overall, the findings of the present study indicated that SAMHD1 was highly expressed in ECs, which may be associated with low immune activation levels, but was not directly related to HIV1 DNA levels.