Disrupted Homeostatic Cytokines Expression in Secondary Lymph Organs during HIV Infection.

ABSTRACT: Research has firmly established that infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) leads to structural disruption in secondary lymph organs (SLOs) and that IL-7 expression by SLOs is downregulated in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected rhesus macaques. However, the foregoing has not been demonstrated in HIV-infected patients. As well, SLO-produced chemokines and cytokines, other than IL-7, have not been tested. In this study, SLOs in HIV-infected patients exhibit decreased levels of lymphoid cytokines, such as IL-7 and C-C motif chemokine ligand 21 (CCL21), due to lower expression of lymphotoxin (LT)-?. Previous research has shown that LT-? is produced mainly by CD4?T cells in rhesus macaques, while our study found the same level of LT-? expressed by CD4?T and CD8?T cells in humans. CD8?T cells substitute for depleted CD4?T cells LT-? production. Only the total number of CD3?T cells can account for the majority of LT-? in human SLOs. This study indicates a possible mechanism and a potential target for improvement of SLO function in HIV-infected patients, a novel adjuvant therapy for AIDS.

SUBMITTER: Zhao L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4813265 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature