The Journal of infectious diseases | 2019
Circulating CD30+ CD4+ T Cells Increase Prior to HIV Rebound Following Analytical Antiretroviral Treatment Interruption.
Abstract
BACKGROUND\nIdentification of non-viral markers of HIV infection that increase prior to viral rebound during analytical treatment interruption (ATI) may impact HIV persistence research. We previously showed that HIV RNA is enriched in CD30+CD4+ T cells in many individuals. Here, we studied CD30+CD4+ T cell dynamics prior to ATI, during ATI (prior to detectable plasma RNA), and after HIV rebound.\n\n\nMETHODS\nPBMC from 23 participants collected longitudinally from five Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group studies incorporating ATI were included in this study. Flow cytometric characterization of expression of CD30 and markers of T cell activation and exhaustion were performed along with HIV-1 RNA and DNA quantification and measurement of soluble plasma CD30 and CD30 ligand.\n\n\nFINDINGS\nThe percentage of CD4+ T cells expressing CD30 significantly increased from pre-ATI to post-interruption time points prior to detectible viremia [1.65 mean relative increase, P=0.005]. 77% of participants experienced an increase in CD30+ cells before viral rebound. In contrast, there were no significant differences between pre-ATI and post-interruption pre-rebound time-points in percentages of lymphocytes expressing CD69, CD38/HLA-DR, or PD-1 until after HIV recrudescence.\n\n\nCONCLUSIONS\nCD30 may be a surrogate marker of early replication or viral transcriptional activity prior to detection by routine peripheral blood sampling.