Peripheral Vγ9Vδ2 T Cells Are a Novel Reservoir of Latent HIV Infection

PLoS Pathog. 2015 Oct 16;11(10):e1005201. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005201. eCollection 2015 Oct.

Abstract

Eradication of HIV infection will require the identification of all cellular reservoirs that harbor latent infection. Despite low or lack of CD4 receptor expression on Vδ2 T cells, infection of these cells has previously been reported. We found that upregulation of the CD4 receptor may render primary Vδ2 cells target for HIV infection in vitro and we propose that HIV-induced immune activation may allow infection of γδ T cells in vivo. We assessed the presence of latent HIV infection by measurements of DNA and outgrowth assays within Vδ2 cells in 18 aviremic patients on long-standing antiretroviral therapy. In 14 patients we recovered latent but replication-competent HIV from highly purified Vδ2 cells demonstrating that peripheral Vδ2 T cells are a previously unrecognized reservoir in which latent HIV infection is unexpectedly frequent.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / virology*
  • Cell Separation
  • Flow Cytometry
  • HIV Infections / virology*
  • HIV-1 / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / virology*
  • Virus Latency / physiology*

Substances

  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta