Neutralization diversity of HIV-1 Indian subtype C envelopes obtained from cross sectional and followed up individuals against broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies having distinct gp120 specificities.

Background: The potential use of the broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (bnAbs) towards prophylaxis and treatment to HIV-1 is currently being explored. While a number of promising bnAbs have been discovered and a few of them have progressed towards clinical development, their extent of neutralization coverage with respect to global HIV-1 variants given the existence of genetically distinct subtypes and recombinants circulating globally is not clearly known. In the present study, we examined the variation in the neutralization susceptibility of pseudoviruses expressing 71 full length primary HIV-1 subtype C envs obtained from limited cross-sectional individuals over different time points against four bnAbs that target gp120 with distinct specificities: VRC01, CAP256-VRC26.

Elevated Levels of Galectin-9 but Not Osteopontin in HIV and Tuberculosis Infections Indicate Their Roles in Detecting MTB Infection in HIV Infected Individuals.

Galectin-9 (Gal-9) and osteopontin (OPN) play immunomodulatory roles in tuberculosis and HIV infections. Evaluation of their levels as well as their interplay with different pro-inflammatory cytokines is critical to understand their role in immunopathogenesis of HIV/tuberculosis co-infection considering the complexity of the disease. Plasma levels of these proteins were measured by ELISAs in HIV-negative individuals with pulmonary ( = 21), extrapulmonary ( = 33), and latent tuberculosis ( = 22) and in HIV infected patients with pulmonary ( = 14), latent tuberculosis ( = 17), and without tuberculosis ( = 41).

HIV-specific CD4+Th17 cells from HIV infected long-term non-progressors exhibit lower CTLA-4 expression and reduced apoptosis.

Progressive HIV infection is marked with reduced frequency and impaired function of Th17 cells. Since T-cell functional responses are regulated by various inhibitory receptors; we examined the expression profile of CTLA-4, PD-1, Tim-3 and apoptotic marker: Caspase-3 on virus-specific Th17 cells from HIV-infected Long-Term Non-Progressors (LTNPs), chronic disease progressors and HIV-uninfected healthy controls (HC) using flowcytometry. Real-time PCR was done to analyze the mRNA expression of Th17 and Treg specific genes.

Increased degranulation of immune cells is associated with higher cervical viral load in HIV-infected women.

Objective: The activation of effector immune cells at the cervicovaginal mucosa (CVM) might influence the cervical HIV load and thus the secondary transmission; however, limited information is available about the innate effector cells at CVM during HIV infection. In this study, we quantified and assessed the activation of the effector immune cells at the CVM of HIV-infected women with different disease outcomes: nonprogressive HIV disease (LTNPs) and chronic HIV-infected (CHI) and their relationship with cervical viral shedding.

Method: The phenotype and frequency of cytobrush-derived effector immune cells like natural killer cells, T cells, and dendritic cells and their degranulation status (CD107a expression as a surrogate marker of activation) was determined using flow cytometry in age-matched HIV- infected and uninfected women and their association with cervical HIV load was determined.

Characterization of vaginal lactobacilli from HIV-negative and HIV-positive Indian women and their association with genital HIV-1 shedding.

One of the crucial determinants for successful administration of lactobacilli to the vaginal niche is the use of appropriate Lactobacillus species. In this cross-sectional study 54 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative and 76 HIV-positive antiretroviral treatment-naïve women were evaluated for culturable vaginal lactobacilli and their association with genital HIV-1 shedding. Lactobacillus species were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing while cervical and plasma HIV-1 viral load was determined by Abbott real-time PCR.

Short Communication: Low Immune Activation Is Associated with Higher Frequencies of Central Memory T Cell Subset in a Cohort of Indian Long-Term Nonprogressors.

Persistent immune activation in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is responsible for alterations in immune system such as activation, apoptosis, and reduced frequencies. Reduced immune activation is known to be associated with virus control. Limited information is available on the influence of pan-immune activation on memory responses.

Short communication: genital tumor growth factor-β1 levels in HIV-infected Indian women are associated with reduced levels of innate antimicrobial products and increased HIV shedding.

Tumor growth factor (TGF)-β1 is a cytokine with potent immunoinhibitory functions and is known to be secreted by vaginal epithelial cells. The present study was designed to determine the association of cervicovaginal levels of TGF- β1 with various innate immune secretions such as cytokines and antimicrobial polypeptides [Trappin-2/Elafin and secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI)] and cervical HIV shedding in HIV-infected Indian women. TGF- β1, antimicrobial polypeptides, and cytokine levels were estimated in the cervicovaginal lavages (CVLs) of 36 age-matched HIV-infected and 31 HIV-uninfected asymptomatic Indian women using an ELISA and Bio-Plex Assay, respectively.

Association of plasma viremia with HIV-1 RNA levels in cervicovaginal lavage secretions in HIV-1 seropositive ART naïve women from Pune, India.

Background: Coherent drug/microbicide/vaccine development research would benefit through a precise knowledge of HIV dissemination and its persistence in the female genital tract. Understanding relationship between plasma viremia and cervicovaginal HIV shedding may help to unveil mechanisms underlying transmission, compartmentalization and pathogenesis.

Objectives: To study the association between HIV-1 RNA levels in the plasma and CVL specimens.