CTLA-4⁺PD-1^- Memory CD4⁺ T Cells Critically Contribute to Viral Persistence in Antiretroviral Therapy-Suppressed, SIV-Infected Rhesus Macaques.

ABSTRACT: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) suppresses viral replication in HIV-infected individuals but does not eliminate the reservoir of latently infected cells. Recent work identified PD-1⁺ follicular helper T (Tfh) cells as an important cellular compartment for viral persistence. Here, using ART-treated, SIV-infected rhesus macaques, we show that CTLA-4⁺PD-1^- memory CD4⁺ T cells, which share phenotypic markers with regulatory T cells, were enriched in SIV DNA in blood, lymph nodes (LN), spleen, and gut, and contained replication-competent and infectious virus. In contrast to PD-1⁺ Tfh cells, SIV-enriched CTLA-4⁺PD-1^- CD4⁺ T cells were found outside the B cell follicle of the LN, predicted the size of the persist

SUBMITTER: McGary CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5679306 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature