Memory CD4 + T-Cells Expressing HLA-DR Contribute to HIV Persistence During Prolonged Antiretroviral Therapy.

To date, most assays for measuring the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) reservoir do not include memory CD4+ T-cells expressing the activation marker, human leukocyte antigen-antigen D related (HLA-DR). However, little is known concerning the role these cells play in maintaining persistent HIV-1 during effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). To address this issue, we examined, cellular activation/exhaustion markers (Ki67, CCR5, PD-1, Lag-3 and Tim-3) and viral gag-pol DNA sequences within HLA-DR- and HLA-DR+ memory CD4+ T-cell subsets longitudinally from the peripheral blood of six participants over 3 to ≥15 years of effective therapy.