Regulation of Immune Homeostasis, Inflammation, and HIV Persistence by the Microbiome, Short-Chain Fatty Acids, and Bile Acids.

Despite antiretroviral therapy (ART), people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH) continue to experience chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction, which drives the persistence of latent HIV and prevalence of clinical comorbidities. Elucidating the mechanisms that lead to suboptimal immunity is necessary for developing therapeutics that improve the quality of life of PLWH. Although previous studies have found associations between gut dysbiosis and immune dysfunction, the cellular/molecular cascades implicated in the manifestation of aberrant immune responses downstream of microbial perturbations in PLWH are incompletely understood.

impedes CD40-dependent notch signaling to restrict Th polarization during infection.

Early Th responses are necessary to provide protection against (Mtb). Mtb impedes Th polarization by restricting CD40 co-stimulatory pathway on dendritic cells (DCs). We previously demonstrated that engaging CD40 on DCs increased Th responses.