HLA Class I Downregulation by HIV-1 Variants from Subtype C Transmission Pairs.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: HIV-1 downregulates HLA-A and HLA-B from the surface of infected cells primarily to evade CD8 T cell recognition. HLA-C was thought to remain on the cell surface and bind inhibitory killer immunoglobulin-like receptors, preventing NK cell-mediated suppression. However, a recent study found HIV-1 primary viruses have the capacity to downregulate HLA-C. The goal of this study was to assess the heterogeneity of HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-C downregulation among full-length primary viruses from six chronically infected and six newly infected individuals from transmission pairs, and to determine whether transmitted/founder variants exhibit common HLA class I downregulation characteristics. We measured HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C and total HLA class I downregulation by flow cytometry of primary CD4 T cells infected with 40 infectious molecular clones. Primary viruses mediated a range of HLA class I downregulation capacities (1.3-6.1-fold), which could differ significantly between transmission pairs. Downregulation of HLA-C surface expression on infected cells correlated with susceptibility to in vitro NK cell suppression of virus release. Despite this, transmitted/founder variants did not share a common downregulation signature and instead were more similar to the quasispecies of matched donor partners. These data indicate that a range of viral abilities to downregulate HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-C exist within and between individuals, which can have functional consequences on immune recognition.IMPORTANCE Subtype C HIV-1 is the predominant subtype involved in heterosexual transmission in Sub-Saharan Africa. Authentic subtype C viruses that contain natural sequence variations throughout the genome are often not used in experimental systems, due to technical constraints and sample availability. In this study, authentic full-length subtype C viruses, including transmitted/founder viruses, were examined for the ability to disrupt surface expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules, which are central to both adaptive and innate immune responses to viral infections. We found that HLA class I downregulation capacity of primary viruses varied, and HLA-C downregulation capacity impacted viral suppression by natural killer cells. Transmitted viruses were not distinct in the capacity for HLA class I downregulation or natural killer cell evasion. These results enrich our understanding of the phenotypic variation existing among natural HIV-1 viruses, and how that might impact the ability of the immune system to recognize infected cells in acute and chronic infection.
SUBMITTER: Ende Z
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5972908 | biostudies-other | 2018 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
ACCESS DATA