IFN-α blockade during ART-treated SIV infection lowers tissue vDNA, rescues immune function, and improves overall health.

ABSTRACT: Type I IFNs (TI-IFNs) drive immune effector functions during acute viral infections and regulate cell cycling and systemic metabolism. That said, chronic TI-IFN signaling in the context of HIV infection treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) also facilitates viral persistence, in part by promoting immunosuppressive responses and CD8+ T cell exhaustion. To determine whether inhibition of IFN-α might provide benefit in the setting of chronic, ART-treated SIV infection of rhesus macaques, we administered an anti-IFN-α antibody followed by an analytical treatment interruption (ATI). IFN-α blockade was well-tolerated and associated with lower expression of TI-IFN-inducible genes (including those that are antiviral) and reduced tissue viral DNA (vDNA). The reduction in vDNA was further accomp

SUBMITTER: Swainson LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8983135 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature