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Journal of Virology, September 2008, p. 8307-8315, Vol. 82, No. 17
0022-538X/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.00520-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Preservation of FoxP3+ Regulatory T Cells in the Peripheral Blood of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1-Infected Elite Suppressors Correlates with Low CD4+ T-Cell Activation{triangledown}

Amanda J. Chase,1 Hung-Chih Yang,1 Hao Zhang,2 Joel N. Blankson,1* and Robert F. Siliciano1,3*

Departments of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,1 Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland,2 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baltimore, Maryland3

Received 8 March 2008/ Accepted 3 June 2008

Elite suppressors (ES) are untreated human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected individuals who maintain normal CD4+ T-cell counts and control viremia to levels that are below the limit of detection of current assays. The mechanisms involved in long-term control of viremia have not been fully elucidated. CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) downmodulate chronic inflammation by suppressing the activation and proliferation of effector lymphocytes. We found that while Tregs were functional in ES and patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), ES maintained high levels of Tregs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells whereas patients on HAART had evidence of Treg depletion. We also demonstrated that Tregs can serve as reservoirs for HIV-1 in vivo. These data suggest that both direct infection by HIV-1 and tissue redistribution are possible explanations for declining FoxP3+ Tregs in progressive HIV-1 infection. Furthermore, the maintenance of Tregs may be one mechanism associated with the nonprogressive nature of HIV-1 infection in ES.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Broadway Research Building, Room 880, 733 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205. Phone: (410) 955-7757. Fax: (410) 502-1144. E-mail for Joel Blankson: jblanks{at}jhmi.edu. E-mail for Robert Siliciano: rsiliciano{at}jhmi.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 25 June 2008.

Journal of Virology, September 2008, p. 8307-8315, Vol. 82, No. 17
0022-538X/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.00520-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Saez-Cirion, A., Sinet, M., Shin, S. Y., Urrutia, A., Versmisse, P., Lacabaratz, C., Boufassa, F., Avettand-Fenoel, V., Rouzioux, C., Delfraissy, J.-F., Barre-Sinoussi, F., Lambotte, O., Venet, A., Pancino, G., for the ANRS EP36 HIV Controllers Study Group, (2009). Heterogeneity in HIV Suppression by CD8 T Cells from HIV Controllers: Association with Gag-Specific CD8 T Cell Responses. J. Immunol. 182: 7828-7837 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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