Project description:HIV+ Elite and Viremic controllers (EC/VCs) are able to control virus infection, perhaps because of host genetic determinants. We identified 16% (21 of 131) EC/VCs with CD4+ T cells with resistance specific to R5-tropic HIV, reversed after introduction of CCR5. R5 resistance was not observed in macrophages and depended upon the method of T cell activation. CD4+ T cells of these EC/VCs had lower CCR2 and CCR5 mRNA levels, reduced CCR2 and CCR5 cell-surface expression, and decreased levels of secreted chemokines. T cells had no changes in chemokine receptor mRNA half-life but instead had lower levels of active transcription of CCR2 and CCR5, despite having more accessible chromatin by Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq). Other nearby genes were also down-regulated, over a region of ~500kb on chromosome 3p21. This same R5 resistance phenotype was observed in family members of an index VC, also associated with CCR2/CCR5 down-regulation, suggesting that the phenotype is heritable.
Project description:HIV+ Elite and Viremic controllers (EC/VCs) are able to control virus infection, perhaps because of host genetic determinants. We identified 16% (21 of 131) EC/VCs with CD4+ T cells with resistance specific to R5-tropic HIV, reversed after introduction of CCR5. R5 resistance was not observed in macrophages and depended upon the method of T cell activation. CD4+ T cells of these EC/VCs had lower CCR2 and CCR5 mRNA levels, reduced CCR2 and CCR5 cell-surface expression, and decreased levels of secreted chemokines. T cells had no changes in chemokine receptor mRNA half-life but instead had lower levels of active transcription of CCR2 and CCR5, despite having more accessible chromatin by Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq). Other nearby genes were also down-regulated, over a region of ~500kb on chromosome 3p21. This same R5 resistance phenotype was observed in family members of an index VC, also associated with CCR2/CCR5 down-regulation, suggesting that the phenotype is heritable.
Project description:HIV “controllers” are individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, type I (HIV) who maintain long-term control of viremia without antiviral therapy and who usually do not develop the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In this study, we have used oligonucleotide expression arrays to characterize the mucosal immune responses of these subjects in relation to untreated HIV+ individuals with high viral loads and progressive disease (“non-controllers”). Recto-sigmoid biopsies were analyzed from 9 controllers and 11 non-controllers. All of the genes identified to be significantly different were more highly expressed in the non-controllers. Many of these genes are involved in immunity and defence. These results underscore the importance of the sustained inflammatory response that attends progressive HIV disease. Keywords: Recto-sigmoid biopsy profiles from HIV infected individuals
Project description:CCR5 is the main HIV co-receptor. We aimed to (1) compare CCR5 expression on immune cells between people living with HIV (PLHIV) using combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) and HIV-uninfected controls, (2) relate CCR5 expression to viral reservoir size and (3) assess detereminants of CCR5 expression. Percentages of CCR5 positive cells (%) and CCR5 mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) assessed by flow cytometry in monocytes and lymphocyte subsets were correlated to host factors, HIV-1 cell-associated (CA)-RNA and CA-DNA, plasma inflammation markers and metabolites.
Project description:The chemokine receptor CCR5 is a major co-receptor for human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) mediating infection of target cells1,2. Beyond its function as co-receptor, CCR5 also influences the course of HIV disease and progression to AIDS3. However, it is unclear how CCR5 affects HIV-associated damage to the central nervous system (CNS) and development of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) independently of its co-receptor function. Here we show in a transgenic model of brain damage induced by HIV envelope protein gp1204 that genetic ablation of CCR5 prevents neuronal injury and loss and limits microglial activation, but fails to abrogate astrocytosis. CCR5 deficiency also protected gp120-transgenic mice against impairment of spatial learning and memory. Thus, CCR5-deficiency revealed that astrocytosis, a prominent pathological feature of AIDS brains5, can occur independently from neuronal demise and behavioral impairment. Since the viral envelope protein expressed in the transgenic mouse model originated from HIV-1 LAV4, a CXCR4-preferring virus that can infect macrophages6, CCR5 appeared to exert its control of neuronal injury predominantly in an indirect fashion and independently from its function as a co-receptor. Using analysis of genome-wide CNS gene expression we identified a subset of 734 genes that were differentially regulated in association with neuronal injury in the presence of CCR5. This subset of genes indicated that neuronal injury was associated with activation of macrophages and microglia. A set of 1305 genes was only differentially regulated in association with gp120 in the absence of CCR5 and indicated changes to leukocyte function and the anti-viral immune response besides a down-regulation of components in the GABAergic neurotransmission system. Interestingly, the most significantly differentially expressed genes were observed in a separate subset of 461 genes that was regulated in association with gp120 but independently of the CCR5 genotype. The finding that differential regulation of the 461 and 1305 gene sets was not necessarily linked to neuronal damage and loss suggested that altered expression of at least some of these factors may represent a protective adaptive response of the brain to the presence of viral gp120. Additional experiments using quantitative RT-PCR, protein assays and flow cytometry further supported the notion that CCR5 deficiency blunted microglial activation, a hallmark of HIV-associated brain injury7-9 without significantly affecting the expression of viral gp120. These results provide in vivo evidence for a significant role of CCR5 in HIV-associated CNS injury and behavioral impairment that is independent of the molecules’ function as HIV co-receptor. To characterize the neuroprotective effect of CCR5 ablation in the presence of HIV gp120, we next performed a genome-wide gene expression analysis using whole brain RNA preparations of mice from lines 1 and 2. We decided to collect samples from two time points before and after the ages of when we analyzed histopathology (6 months) and behavior (8 to 9 months) in order to identify genes for which differential regulation may be affected by an interaction of HIVgp120 expression and age. Accordingly, we collected brain tissue of gp120tg, CCR5KO x gp120tg, WT and CCR5KO mice at five different ages: 1.5, 3, 6, 12, and 20 (line 1) or 16 (line 2) months.
Project description:HIV â??controllersâ?? are individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, type I (HIV) who maintain long-term control of viremia without antiviral therapy and who usually do not develop the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In this study, we have used oligonucleotide expression arrays to characterize the mucosal immune responses of these subjects in relation to untreated HIV+ individuals with high viral loads and progressive disease (â??non-controllersâ??). Recto-sigmoid biopsies were analyzed from 9 controllers and 11 non-controllers. All of the genes identified to be significantly different were more highly expressed in the non-controllers. Many of these genes are involved in immunity and defence. These results underscore the importance of the sustained inflammatory response that attends progressive HIV disease. Keywords: Recto-sigmoid biopsy profiles from HIV infected individuals We analyzed a series of 20 HEEBO arrays on which were hybed RNA amplified from the recto-sigmoid biopsies of HIV infected individuals that either have progressive disease or can maintain long term control of viremia.