Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Wang, Wan-hai
• Ming, Liang
• Wang, Ying
• Kan, Quan-cheng
• Zhang, Xiao-yan

Titel

High frequency of regulatory T cells among HIV type 1-infected men who have sex with men correlates with disease progression

Ist Teil von

• Chinese medical journal, 2013-06, Vol.126 (11), p.2054-2061

Ort / Verlag

China: Clinical Laboratory,First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University,Zhengzhou,Henan 450052,China%Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Shanghai 200336,China%Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministry of Education,Institutes of Biomedical Sciences,Fudan University,Shanghai 201508,China

Erscheinungsjahr

2013

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Background Regulatory T cells （Tregs） may play an important role in immunopathology during HIV-1 infection. Transcription factor forkhead box P3 （FoxP3） orchestrates the development of Tregs and is a useful marker to identify this population. Using a FoxP3 phenotype to define Tregs, we investigated the level and phenotype of peripheral blood natural CD4~Tregs and assessed the relationship between the frequencies and absolute numbers of CD4＋Tregs and disease progression among untreated HIV-infected men who have sex with men （HIV~MSM） in China. Methods Fifty-two untreated HIV^＋MSM with CD4^＋T-cell counts of 〈350 cells/μl or 〉350 cells/μl were compared in a cross- sectional study. Twelve age-matched HIV-uninfected MSM and nine patients receiving antiretroviral therapy for at least 1 year were also included. Expression of CD25, CD127, CD45RA, CCR7 and CTLA-4 was assessed on CD4^＋Tregs using polychromatic flow cytometry. Results The percentage of CD4^＋Tregs was increased significantly, whereas CD4^＋Tregs expressed less CTLA-4 in HIV＊MSM compared with controls. CD4^＋Tregs displayed predominantly an effector memory phenotype （CD45RA-CCR7-）, phenotypically distinct from conventional CD4^＋T cells. Moreover, the expansive frequencies of CD4^＋Tregs coincided with lower CD4＋T-cell counts and higher viral loads whereas the absolute numbers of CD4^＋Tregs were associated with higher CD4^＋T-cell counts and lower viral loads. The expansion of Tregs was also associated with CD8^＋T-cell activation. Conclusion Increased proportions and decreased numbers of CD4^＋Tregs are associated with HIV progression, and their functions may impair with the progression of HIV infection.