Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Published: November 2009
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Objective: Studies on long-term nonprogressors (LTNP) have been conducted in the USA and Europe. This study examined the frequency of LTNPs and HIV controllers among 637 HIV-1 seroconverters in rural Uganda.
Design And Methods: LTNPs were defined as being infected for more than 7 years with a CD4 T-cell count above 600 cells per microliter, and HIV controllers as having undetectable viral loads on 3 separate occasions without antiretroviral treatment. HIV-1 viral load and subtype distribution between LTNP and non-LTNP populations were determined.
Results: Of the HIV seroconverters, 9.1% (58/637) were LTNPs and 1.4% (9/637) were HIV controllers. LTNPs had a significantly lower viral load at set point than non-LTNP participants (P < 0.001). The Kaplan-Meier joint probability of surviving to 7 years with a CD4 count >600 was 19.2%. Individuals who survived 7 years had a significantly higher frequency of HIV-1 subtype A (P < 0.05), but seroconverters infected with HIV-1A did not have a significantly higher probability of becoming an LTNP.
Conclusions: The frequency of LTNPs appears to be relatively high in Uganda and it may be important to take this into account when designing studies of viral pathogenesis and performing HIV vaccine trials in sub-Saharan Africa.
Systems serology aims to broadly profile the antigen binding, Fc biophysical features, immune receptor engagement, and effector functions of antibodies. This experimental approach excels at identifying antibody functional features that are relevant to a particular disease. However, a crucial limitation of this approach is its incomplete description of what structural features of the antibodies are responsible for the observed immune receptor engagement and effector functions.
Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (s) are essential components of the innate immune system found on the surfaces of natural killer (NK) cells. The s encoding genes are located on chromosome 19q13.4 and are genetically diverse across populations.
* It finds that the frequency of SIV-Gag-specific follicular CD8 T cells is linked to the amount of SIV-RNA, particularly in treated or naturally controlling macaques, while showing a different behavior in untreated macaques.
* The research indicates that the gene expression profile of fCD8 T cells in naturally controlled infections is more favorable compared to those under cART, suggesting that improving these cells may lead to potential curative strategies for HIV/SIV.
Purpose Of Review: Decoding the HIV-1 immune response, including its humoral arm, in post-treatment controllers (PTCs) is paramount to unveil immune correlates of viral control, which could help developing novel strategies towards HIV-1 remission. Here, we review novel findings on the humoral response to HIV-1 in PTCs.
Recent Findings: New data reveal the heterogeneity of humoral immune profiles in PTCs, principally influenced by viral exposure and dynamics.
Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 8, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Purpose Of Review: To review the role of innate immune cells in shaping the viral reservoir and maintenance of long-term viral control of spontaneous Elite and Viremic HIV controllers.
Recent Findings: HIV controllers exhibit a smaller and transcriptionally suppressed viral reservoir. Different studies report that early responses from innate cells play a pivotal role in this reservoir configuration.
