HIV-1 DNA and Immune Activation Levels Differ for Long-Lived T-Cells in Lymph Nodes, Compared with Peripheral Blood, during Antiretroviral Therapy.

Elucidating the mechanisms underlying the persistence and location of the HIV reservoir is critical for developing cure interventions. While it has been shown that levels of T-cell activation and the size of the HIV reservoir are greater in rectal tissue and lymph nodes (LN) than in blood, the relative contributions of T-cell subsets to this anatomic difference are unknown. We measured and compared HIV-1 DNA content, expression of the T-cell activation markers CD38 and HLA-DR, and expression of the exhaustion markers programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and T-cell immunoreceptor with immunoglobulin and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif domains (TIGIT) in naive, central memory (CM), transitional memory (TM), and effector memory (EM) CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in paired blood and LN samples among 14 people with HIV who were receiving antiretroviral therapy. HIV-1 DNA levels, T-cell immune activation, and TIGIT expression were higher in LN than in blood, especially in CM and TM CD4+ T-cell subsets. Immune activation was significantly higher in all CD8+ T-cell subsets, and memory CD8+ T-cell subsets from LN had higher levels of PD-1 expression, compared with blood, while TIGIT expression levels were significantly lower in TM CD8+ T-cells. The differences seen in CM and TM CD4+ T-cell subsets were more pronounced among participants with CD4+ T-cell counts of <500 cells/µL within 2 years after antiretroviral therapy initiation, thus highlighting increased residual dysregulation in LN as a distinguishing feature of and a potential mechanism for individuals with suboptimal CD4+ T-cell recovery during antiretroviral therapy. IMPORTANCE This study provides new insights into the contributions of different CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell subsets to the anatomic differences between LN and blood in individuals with HIV who have optimal versus suboptimal CD4+ T-cell recovery. To our knowledge, this is the first study comparing paired LN and blood CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell differentiation subsets, as well as those subsets in immunological responders versus immunological suboptimal responders.

Limited impact of fingolimod treatment during the initial weeks of ART in SIV-infected rhesus macaques.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is not curative due to the persistence of a reservoir of HIV-infected cells, particularly in tissues such as lymph nodes, with the potential to cause viral rebound after treatment cessation. In this study, fingolimod (FTY720), a lysophospholipid sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator is administered to SIV-infected rhesus macaques at initiation of ART to block the egress from lymphoid tissues of natural killer and T-cells, thereby promoting proximity between cytolytic cells and infected CD4+ T-cells. When compared with the ART-only controls, FTY720 treatment during the initial weeks of ART induces a profound lymphopenia and increases frequencies of CD8+ T-cells expressing perforin in lymph nodes, but not their killing capacity; FTY720 also increases frequencies of cytolytic NK cells in lymph nodes. This increase of cytolytic cells, however, does not limit measures of viral persistence during ART, including intact proviral genomes. After ART interruption, a subset of animals that initially receives FTY720 displays a modest delay in viral rebound, with reduced plasma viremia and frequencies of infected T follicular helper cells. Further research is needed to optimize the potential utility of FTY720 when coupled with strategies that boost the antiviral function of T-cells in lymphoid tissues.

Increased homeostatic cytokines and stability of HIV-infected memory CD4 T-cells identify individuals with suboptimal CD4 T-cell recovery on-ART.

Clinical outcomes are inferior for individuals with HIV having suboptimal CD4 T-cell recovery during antiretroviral therapy (ART). We investigated if the levels of infection and the response to homeostatic cytokines of CD4 T-cell subsets contributed to divergent CD4 T-cell recovery and HIV reservoir during ART by studying virologically-suppressed immunologic responders (IR, achieving a CD4 cell count >500 cells/µL on or before two years after ART initiation), and virologically-suppressed suboptimal responders (ISR, did not achieve a CD4 cell count >500 cells/µL in the first two years after ART initiation). Compared to IR, ISR demonstrated higher levels of HIV-DNA in naïve, central (CM), transitional (TM), and effector (EM) memory CD4 T-cells in blood, both pre- and on-ART, and specifically in CM CD4 T-cells in LN on-ART. Furthermore, ISR had higher pre-ART plasma levels of IL-7 and IL-15, cytokines regulating T-cell homeostasis. Notably, pre-ART PD-1 and TIGIT expression levels were higher in blood CM and TM CD4 T-cells for ISR; this was associated with a significantly lower fold-changes in HIV-DNA levels between pre- and on-ART time points exclusively on CM and TM T-cell subsets, but not naïve or EM T-cells. Finally, the frequency of CM CD4 T-cells expressing PD-1 or TIGIT pre-ART as well as plasma levels of IL-7 and IL-15 predicted HIV-DNA content on-ART. Our results establish the association between infection, T-cell homeostasis, and expression of PD-1 and TIGIT in long-lived CD4 T-cell subsets prior to ART with CD4 T-cell recovery and HIV persistence on-ART.

Fingolimod retains cytolytic T cells and limits T follicular helper cell infection in lymphoid sites of SIV persistence.

Lymph nodes (LN) and their resident T follicular helper CD4+ T cells (Tfh) are a critical site for HIV replication and persistence. Therefore, optimizing antiviral activity in lymphoid tissues will be needed to reduce or eliminate the HIV reservoir. In this study, we retained effector immune cells in LN of cART-suppressed, SIV-infected rhesus macaques by treatment with the lysophospholipid sphingosine-1 phosphate receptor modulator FTY720 (fingolimod). FTY720 was remarkably effective in reducing circulating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, including those with cytolytic potential, and in increasing the number of these T cells retained in LN, as determined directly in situ by histocytometry and immunohistochemistry. The FTY720-induced inhibition of T cell egress from LN resulted in a measurable decrease of SIV-DNA content in blood as well as in LN Tfh cells in most treated animals. In conclusion, FTY720 administration has the potential to limit viral persistence, including in the critical Tfh cellular reservoir. These findings provide rationale for strategies designed to retain antiviral T cells in lymphoid tissues to target HIV remission.

Bone Marrow-Derived CD4+ T Cells Are Depleted in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Macaques and Contribute to the Size of the Replication-Competent Reservoir.

The bone marrow (BM) is the key anatomic site for hematopoiesis and plays a significant role in the homeostasis of mature T cells. However, very little is known on the phenotype of BM-derived CD4+ T cells, their fate during simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection, and their contribution to viral persistence during antiretroviral therapy (ART). In this study, we characterized the immunologic and virologic status of BM-derived CD4+ T cells in rhesus macaques prior to SIV infection, during the early chronic phase of infection, and during ART. We found that BM memory CD4+ T cells are significantly depleted following SIV infection, at levels that are similar to those measured in the peripheral blood (PB). In addition, BM-derived memory CD4+ T cells include a high frequency of cells that express the coinhibitory receptors CTLA-4 and PD-1, two subsets previously shown to be enriched in the viral reservoir; these cells express Ki-67 at levels similar to or higher than the same cells in PB. Finally, when we analyzed SIV-infected RMs in which viral replication was effectively suppressed by 12 months of ART, we found that BM CD4+ T cells harbor SIV DNA and SIV RNA at levels comparable to those of PB CD4+ T cells, including replication-competent SIV. Thus, BM is a largely understudied anatomic site of the latent reservoir which contributes to viral persistence during ART and needs to be further characterized and targeted when designing therapies for a functional or sterilizing cure to HIV.IMPORTANCE The latent viral reservoir is one of the major obstacles in purging the immune system of HIV. It is paramount that we elucidate which anatomic compartments harbor replication-competent virus, which upon ART interruption results in viral rebound and pathogenesis. In this study, using the rhesus macaque model of SIV infection and ART, we examined the immunologic status of the BM and its role as a potential sanctuary for latent virus. We found that the BM compartment undergoes a similar depletion of memory CD4+ T cells as PB, and during ART treatment the BM-derived memory CD4+ T cells contain high levels of cells expressing CTLA-4 and PD-1, as well as amounts of cell-associated SIV DNA, SIV RNA, and replication-competent virus comparable to those in PB. These results enrich our understanding of which anatomic compartments harbor replication virus and suggest that BM-derived CD4+ T cells need to be targeted by therapeutic strategies aimed at achieving an HIV cure.

CD32 is expressed on cells with transcriptionally active HIV but does not enrich for HIV DNA in resting T cells.

The persistence of HIV reservoirs, including latently infected, resting CD4+ T cells, is the major obstacle to cure HIV infection. CD32a expression was recently reported to mark CD4+ T cells harboring a replication-competent HIV reservoir during antiretroviral therapy (ART) suppression. We aimed to determine whether CD32 expression marks HIV latently or transcriptionally active infected CD4+ T cells. Using peripheral blood and lymphoid tissue of ART-treated HIV+ or SIV+ subjects, we found that most of the circulating memory CD32+ CD4+ T cells expressed markers of activation, including CD69, HLA-DR, CD25, CD38, and Ki67, and bore a TH2 phenotype as defined by CXCR3, CCR4, and CCR6. CD32 expression did not selectively enrich for HIV- or SIV-infected CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood or lymphoid tissue; isolated CD32+ resting CD4+ T cells accounted for less than 3% of the total HIV DNA in CD4+ T cells. Cell-associated HIV DNA and RNA loads in CD4+ T cells positively correlated with the frequency of CD32+ CD69+ CD4+ T cells but not with CD32 expression on resting CD4+ T cells. Using RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization, CD32 coexpression with HIV RNA or p24 was detected after in vitro HIV infection (peripheral blood mononuclear cell and tissue) and in vivo within lymph node tissue from HIV-infected individuals. Together, these results indicate that CD32 is not a marker of resting CD4+ T cells or of enriched HIV DNA-positive cells after ART; rather, CD32 is predominately expressed on a subset of activated CD4+ T cells enriched for transcriptionally active HIV after long-term ART.