Project description:A majority of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have inadequate access to antiretroviral therapy and ultimately develop debilitating oral infections that often correlate with disease progression. Our study evaluates the impact of chronic exposure to the pro-inflammatory cytokine, interferon gamma, on the growth and barrier functions of the oral epithelium. Microarrays were used to characterize changes in gene expression in the TR146 oral epithelial cell line that occur in response to constitutive exposure to interferon gamma in the growth media.
Project description:A majority of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have inadequate access to antiretroviral therapy and ultimately develop debilitating oral infections that often correlate with disease progression. Our study evaluates the impact of chronic exposure to the pro-inflammatory cytokine, interferon gamma, on the growth and barrier functions of the oral epithelium. Microarrays were used to characterize changes in gene expression in the TR146 oral epithelial cell line that occur in response to constitutive exposure to interferon gamma in the growth media. TR146 epithelial cells were grown to confluence in two 6-well culture plates in the presence (plate 1) or absence (plate 2) of interferon gamma and used for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.
Project description:Opportunistic oral infections are ultimately presented in a vast majority of HIV-infected patients, often causing debilitating lesions that also contribute to deterioration in nutritional health. Although appreciation for the role that the microbiota is likely to play in the initiation and/or enhancement of oral infections has grown considerably in recent years, little is known about the impact of HIV infection on host-microbe interactions within the oral cavity. In the current study, we characterize modulations in the bacterial composition of the lingual microbiome in patients with treated and untreated HIV infection. Bacterial species profiles were elucidated by microarray assay and compared between untreated HIV infected patients, HIV infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy, and healthy HIV negative controls. The relationship between clinical parameters (viral burden and CD4+ T cell depletion) and the loss or gain of bacterial species was evaluated in each HIV patient group. Characterization of modulations in the dorsal tongue (lingual) microbiota that are associated with chronic HIV infection.