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Reed J, Kwak G, Piliper EA, Degli-Angeli EJ, Goecker EA, Greninger AL. Validation of digital droplet PCR assays for cell-associated HIV-1 DNA, HIV-1 2-LTR circle, and HIV-1 unspliced RNA for clinical studies in HIV-1 cure research. J Clin Virol 2024; 170:105632. [PMID: 38113685 PMCID: PMC10842696 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2023.105632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cell-associated HIV-1 DNA, HIV-1 2-LTR circle, and HIV-1 unspliced RNA (usRNA) are important virological parameters for monitoring HIV-1 persistence and activation of latent HIV-1. Assays fully validated by CLIA and/or GCLP standards are needed for future clinical trials that seek to evaluate treatments directed towards HIV-1 cure. OBJECTIVES To determine performance characteristics of sensitive, moderate-throughput, digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) assays for cell-associated HIV-1 DNA, HIV-1 2-LTR circle, and HIV-1 usRNA that can detect a broad range of HIV-1 M-group subtypes. STUDY DESIGN To evaluate linearity, limit of detection, precision, and accuracy of each assay, contrived specimens were analyzed in a background of uninfected PBMC. Detection breadth was evaluated by in silico analysis of primer and probes sets and analysis of material harvested from PBMC infected in vitro with various HIV-1 subtypes. A cohort of clinical specimens from viremic and virologically suppressed individuals was analyzed to demonstrate applicability to clinical research. RESULTS The empirically determined limit of detection of these assays was 29, 7, and 60 copies per million PBMC for HIV-1 DNA, HIV-1 2-LTR circle, and HIV-1 usRNA, respectively. The assays detect a broad range of HIV-1 M-group subtypes. Finally, analysis of clinical specimens demonstrate that these assays can detect low levels of cell-associated HIV-1 DNA, HIV-1 usRNA, and HIV-1 2-LTR circle and correlate with clinical histories and viral loads of untreated and antiretroviral treated individuals. CONCLUSIONS We report the clinical validation of three HIV reservoir assays with broad HIV-1 coverage for future cure studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Reed
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Ginger Kwak
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Eli A Piliper
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Emily J Degli-Angeli
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Erin A Goecker
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Alexander L Greninger
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, United States; Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States.
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2
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Kibirige CN, Manak M, King D, Abel B, Hack H, Wooding D, Liu Y, Fernandez N, Dalel J, Kaye S, Imami N, Jagodzinski L, Gilmour J. Development of a sensitive, quantitative assay with broad subtype specificity for detection of total HIV-1 nucleic acids in plasma and PBMC. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1550. [PMID: 35091568 PMCID: PMC8799642 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03016-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
An LTR-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was modified and optimized for the quantification of total HIV-1 nucleic acids in plasma and PBMC. TaqMan qPCR primers and probes were designed against the NCBI/LANL HIV-1 compendium database by analyzing sequences used in assays for sensitive cross-clade detection of HIV-1 as reported in the literature and elucidating regions of improved cross-subtype specificity. Inosine and mixed nucleotide bases were included at polymorphic sites. Real-time RT-qPCR and qPCR were performed on plasma viral RNA and cellular lysates. A step-up amplification approach to allow binding of primers across polymorphic regions showed improved sensitivity compared to universal cycling. Unlike a lead competing laboratory-developed assay, all major HIV-1 subtypes, and a wide range of recombinants from a 127-member diversity panel were detected and accurately quantified in spiked plasmas. Semi-nested PCR increased detection sensitivity even further. The assay was able to detect down to 88 copies/mL of HIV-1 in plasma with 95% efficiency or the equivalent of a single infected cell. The PCR assay will be valuable in studies that monitor very low viral levels including residual or break through HIV-1 in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy, in HIV-1 cure, and in other research studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- C N Kibirige
- IAVI, Human Immunology Laboratory, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, 369 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH, UK.
| | - M Manak
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA
- Turesol Consulting, 314 S. Henderson Road, King of Prussia, PA, 19406, USA
| | - D King
- IAVI, Human Immunology Laboratory, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, 369 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH, UK
| | - B Abel
- IAVI, Human Immunology Laboratory, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, 369 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH, UK
| | - H Hack
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA
- Diagnostics and Countermeasures Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Ave, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA
| | - D Wooding
- IAVI, Human Immunology Laboratory, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, 369 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH, UK
| | - Y Liu
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA
- Diagnostics and Countermeasures Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Ave, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA
| | - N Fernandez
- IAVI, Human Immunology Laboratory, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, 369 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH, UK
| | - J Dalel
- IAVI, Human Immunology Laboratory, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, 369 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH, UK
| | - Steve Kaye
- Molecular Diagnostics Unit, Imperial College London, Jefferiss Trust Laboratory, St. Mary's Campus, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - N Imami
- Centre for Immunology and Vaccinology, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, 369 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH, UK
| | - L Jagodzinski
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA
- Diagnostics and Countermeasures Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Ave, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA
| | - J Gilmour
- IAVI, Human Immunology Laboratory, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, 369 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9NH, UK
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Abstract
The introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has transformed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 into a chronic, well-managed disease. However, these therapies do not eliminate all infected cells from the body despite suppressing viral load. Viral rebound is largely due to the presence of cellular reservoirs which support long-term persistence of HIV-1. A thorough understanding of the HIV-1 reservoir will facilitate the development of new strategies leading to its detection, reduction, and elimination, ultimately leading to curative therapies for HIV-1. Although immune cells derived from lymphoid and myeloid progenitors have been thoroughly studied as HIV-1 reservoirs, few studies have examined whether mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) can assume this function. In this review, we evaluate published studies which have assessed whether MSCs contribute to the HIV-1 reservoir. MSCs have been found to express the receptors and co-receptors required for HIV-1 entry, albeit at levels of expression and receptor localisation that vary considerably between studies. Exposure to HIV-1 and HIV-1 proteins alters MSC properties in vitro, including their proliferation capacity and differentiation potential. However, in vitro and in vivo experiments investigating whether MSCs can become infected with and harbour latent integrated proviral DNA are lacking. In conclusion, MSCs appear to have the potential to contribute to the HIV-1 reservoir. However, further studies are needed using techniques such as those used to prove that cluster of differentiation (CD)4+ T cells constitute an HIV-1 reservoir before a reservoir function can definitively be ascribed to MSCs.
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4
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Malatinkova E, Thomas J, De Spiegelaere W, Rutsaert S, Geretti AM, Pollakis G, Paxton WA, Vandekerckhove L, Ruggiero A. Measuring Proviral HIV-1 DNA: Hurdles and Improvements to an Assay Monitoring Integration Events Utilising Human Alu Repeat Sequences. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11121410. [PMID: 34947941 PMCID: PMC8706387 DOI: 10.3390/life11121410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Integrated HIV-1 DNA persists despite antiretroviral therapy and can fuel viral rebound following treatment interruption. Hence, methods to specifically measure the integrated HIV-1 DNA portion only are important to monitor the reservoir in eradication trials. Here, we provide an up-to-date overview of the literature on the different approaches used to measure integrated HIV-1 DNA. Further, we propose an implemented standard-curve free assay to quantify integrated HIV-1 DNA, so-called Alu-5LTR PCR, which utilises novel primer combinations. We tested the Alu-5LTR PCR in 20 individuals on suppressive ART for a median of nine years; the results were compared to those produced with the standard-free Alu-gag assay. The numbers of median integrated HIV-1 DNA copies were 5 (range: 1–12) and 14 (5–26) with the Alu-gag and Alu-5LTR, respectively. The ratios between Alu-gag vs Alu-5LTR results were distributed within the cohort as follows: most patients (12/20, 60%) provided ratios between 2–5, with 3/20 (15%) and 5/20 (25%) being below or above this range, respectively. Alu-5LTR assay sensitivity was also determined using an “integrated standard”; the data confirmed the increased sensitivity of the assay, i.e., equal to 0.25 proviruses in 10,000 genomes. This work represents an improvement in the field of measuring proviral HIV-1 DNA that could be employed in future HIV-1 persistence and eradication studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Malatinkova
- HIV Cure Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; (E.M.); (S.R.); (L.V.)
| | - Jordan Thomas
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7BE, UK; (J.T.); (G.P.); (W.A.P.)
| | - Ward De Spiegelaere
- Laboratory of Veterinary Morphology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Ghent University, B-9820 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Sofie Rutsaert
- HIV Cure Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; (E.M.); (S.R.); (L.V.)
| | - Anna Maria Geretti
- Fondazione PTV and Faculty of Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy;
- School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
| | - Georgios Pollakis
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7BE, UK; (J.T.); (G.P.); (W.A.P.)
| | - William A. Paxton
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7BE, UK; (J.T.); (G.P.); (W.A.P.)
| | - Linos Vandekerckhove
- HIV Cure Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; (E.M.); (S.R.); (L.V.)
| | - Alessandra Ruggiero
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7BE, UK; (J.T.); (G.P.); (W.A.P.)
- Department Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, School of Medicine-University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-045-802-7190
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Thomas J, Ruggiero A, Paxton WA, Pollakis G. Measuring the Success of HIV-1 Cure Strategies. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:134. [PMID: 32318356 PMCID: PMC7154081 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 eradication strategies aim to achieve viral remission in the absence of antiretroviral therapy (ART). The development of an HIV-1 cure remains challenging due to the latent reservoir (LR): long-lived CD4 T cells that harbor transcriptionally silent HIV-1 provirus. The LR is stable despite years of suppressive ART and is the source of rebound viremia following therapy interruption. Cure strategies such as "shock and kill" aim to eliminate or reduce the LR by reversing latency, exposing the infected cells to clearance via the immune response or the viral cytopathic effect. Alternative strategies include therapeutic vaccination, which aims to prime the immune response to facilitate control of the virus in the absence of ART. Despite promising advances, these strategies have been unable to significantly reduce the LR or increase the time to viral rebound but have provided invaluable insight in the field of HIV-1 eradication. The development and assessment of an HIV-1 cure requires robust assays that can measure the LR with sufficient sensitivity to detect changes that may occur following treatment. The viral outgrowth assay (VOA) is considered the gold standard method for LR quantification due to its ability to distinguish intact and defective provirus. However, the VOA is time consuming and resource intensive, therefore several alternative assays have been developed to bridge the gap between practicality and accuracy. Whilst a cure for HIV-1 infection remains elusive, recent advances in our understanding of the LR and methods for its eradication have offered renewed hope regarding achieving ART free viral remission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Thomas
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandra Ruggiero
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.,Immune and Infectious Disease Division, Academic Department of Pediatrics (DPUO), Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - William A Paxton
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Georgios Pollakis
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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6
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In-depth validation of total HIV-1 DNA assays for quantification of various HIV-1 subtypes. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17274. [PMID: 30467426 PMCID: PMC6250682 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35403-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 DNA quantification serves as an important reservoir biomarker in HIV cure trials. However, the high genetic diversity of HIV-1 represented by different subtypes may bring inaccuracy in quantifying HIV-1 DNA and a sensitive and validated assay covering diverse HIV-1 subtypes is lacking. Therefore, we cross-validated total HIV-1 DNA assays described in literature using a three-step comparative analysis. First, a bioinformatics tool was developed in-house to perform an in silico evaluation of 67 HIV-1 DNA assays. Secondly, these selected assays were in vitro validated using a panel of different HIV-1 subtypes and, finally, ex vivo assessed on selected patient samples with different HIV-1 subtypes. Our results show that quantification of HIV-1 DNA substantially differs between assays and we advise five best performing HIV-1 DNA assays for ddPCR and qPCR (Schvachsa_2007, Viard_2004, Heeregrave_2009, Van_der_Sluis_2013, Yu_2008 and Yun_2002). This in-depth analysis of published HIV-1 DNA assays indicates that not all assays guarantee an optimal measurement of HIV-1 DNA, especially when looking across subtypes. Using an in-depth cross-validation, we were able to validate HIV-1 DNA assays that are suitable for quantification of HIV-1 DNA in a wide variety of HIV-1 infected patients.
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7
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Thomas J, Ruggiero A, Procopio FA, Pantaleo G, Paxton WA, Pollakis G. Comparative analysis and generation of a robust HIV-1 DNA quantification assay. J Virol Methods 2018; 263:24-31. [PMID: 30326210 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2018.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
HIV-1 infection cannot be cured due to the presence of the latent reservoir (LR). Novel cure or treatment strategies, such as "shock and kill" or therapeutic vaccination, aim to reduce or eradicate the LR. Cure strategies utilise robust DNA quantification assays to measure the change in the LR in low copy scenarios. No standard assay exists, which impedes the reliable comparison of results from different therapy and vaccine trials and HIV-1 total DNA quantification methods have not been previously compared. The HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) has been shown to be the best target for DNA quantification. We have analysed two HIV-1 quantification assays, both able to differentiate between the variant HIV-1 DNA forms via the use of pre-amplification and primers targeting LTR. We identify a strong correlation (r=0.9759, P<0.0001) between assays which is conserved in low copy samples (r=0.8220, P<0.0001) indicating that these assays may be used interchangeably. The RvS assay performed significantly (P=0.0021) better than the CV assay when quantifying HIV-1 total DNA in patient CD4+ T lymphocytes. Sequence analysis demonstrated that viral diversity can limit DNA quantification, however in silico analysis of the primers indicated that within the target region nucleotide miss-matches appear infrequently. Further in silico analysis using up to-date sequence information led to the improvement of primers and enabled us to establish a more broadly specific assay with significantly higher HIV-1 DNA quantification capacity in patient samples (p=0.0057, n=17).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Thomas
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection and Global Health (IGH), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandra Ruggiero
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection and Global Health (IGH), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco A Procopio
- Service of Immunology and Allergy, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Giuseppe Pantaleo
- Service of Immunology and Allergy, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - William A Paxton
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection and Global Health (IGH), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Georgios Pollakis
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection and Global Health (IGH), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
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8
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Ruggiero A, Malatinkova E, Rutsaert S, Paxton WA, Vandekerckhove L, De Spiegelaere W. Utility of integrated HIV-1 DNA quantification in cure studies. Future Virol 2017. [DOI: 10.2217/fvl-2016-0130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Numerous HIV-1 curative strategies have been proposed to eradicate the virus reservoir pool that remains integrated within target cells, despite successful antiretroviral therapy. To test the impact of such interventions on this reservoir, a universal marker of persistence is needed. Quantifying integrated HIV-1 DNA load has been proposed as a strong virological marker. In this paper, we provide a detailed description of the most commonly used assays to quantify integrated HIV-1 DNA and applications in relevant clinical studies produced over the last 20 years with a major focus on the recent literature. We discuss the potential for using this marker of virological persistence and the technical limitations that need to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Ruggiero
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology & Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Eva Malatinkova
- HIV Cure Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Sofie Rutsaert
- HIV Cure Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - William A Paxton
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology & Immunology (CIMI), Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Linos Vandekerckhove
- HIV Cure Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Ward De Spiegelaere
- Department of Morphology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium
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9
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ddpcRquant: threshold determination for single channel droplet digital PCR experiments. Anal Bioanal Chem 2015; 407:5827-34. [DOI: 10.1007/s00216-015-8773-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2015] [Revised: 05/05/2015] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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10
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Pollakis G, Richel O, Vis JD, Prins JM, Paxton WA, de Vries HJC. Increased HIV-1 activity in anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions compared with unaffected anal mucosa in men who have sex with men. Clin Infect Dis 2014; 58:1634-7. [PMID: 24604897 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciu133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We studied 3 patients with focal intra-anal tissue high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs). All had increased human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA and DNA in lesions compared with that in healthy mucosa. HIV-1 RNA and HIV-1 episomal DNA were indicative of ongoing viral replication, more so in anal HSILs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Pollakis
- Institute of Infection and Global Health/CIMI, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
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12
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Touchdown digital polymerase chain reaction for quantification of highly conserved sequences in the HIV-1 genome. Anal Biochem 2013; 439:201-3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2013.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2013] [Revised: 04/22/2013] [Accepted: 04/23/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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13
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Kibirige C. The Use of Ultra-Sensitive Molecular Assays in HIV Cure-Related Research. JOURNAL OF AIDS & CLINICAL RESEARCH 2013; Suppl 6. [PMID: 25328815 PMCID: PMC4198944 DOI: 10.4172/2155-6113.s6-002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Ultra-sensitive laboratory assays based on the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) are playing an increasingly important role in HIV cure-related research. This article reviews the different assays available and how they have evolved. There is a great need for their standardization and for the establishment of reference reagents and testing algorithms to evaluate potential HIV cure-related treatments.
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14
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Pasternak AO, Lukashov VV, Berkhout B. Cell-associated HIV RNA: a dynamic biomarker of viral persistence. Retrovirology 2013; 10:41. [PMID: 23587031 PMCID: PMC3637491 DOI: 10.1186/1742-4690-10-41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2013] [Accepted: 04/10/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In most HIV-infected individuals adherent to modern antiretroviral therapy (ART), plasma viremia stays undetectable by clinical assays and therefore, additional virological markers for monitoring and predicting therapy responses and for measuring the degree of HIV persistence in patients on ART should be identified. For the above purposes, quantitation of cell-associated HIV biomarkers could provide a useful alternative to measurements of viral RNA in plasma. This review concentrates on cell-associated (CA) HIV RNA with the emphasis on its use as a virological biomarker. We discuss the significance of CA HIV RNA as a prognostic marker of disease progression in untreated patients and as an indicator of residual virus replication and the size of the dynamic viral reservoir in ART-treated patients. Potential value of this biomarker for monitoring the response to ART and to novel HIV eradication therapies is highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander O Pasternak
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam-CINIMA, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 15, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, The Netherlands.
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15
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van der Sluis RM, van Montfort T, Pollakis G, Sanders RW, Speijer D, Berkhout B, Jeeninga RE. Dendritic cell-induced activation of latent HIV-1 provirus in actively proliferating primary T lymphocytes. PLoS Pathog 2013; 9:e1003259. [PMID: 23555263 PMCID: PMC3605277 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2012] [Accepted: 02/05/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 latency remains a formidable barrier towards virus eradication as therapeutic attempts to purge these reservoirs are so far unsuccessful. The pool of transcriptionally silent proviruses is established early in infection and persists for a lifetime, even when viral loads are suppressed below detection levels using anti-retroviral therapy. Upon therapy interruption the reservoir can re-establish systemic infection. Different cellular reservoirs that harbor latent provirus have been described. In this study we demonstrate that HIV-1 can also establish a silent integration in actively proliferating primary T lymphocytes. Co-culturing of these proliferating T lymphocytes with dendritic cells (DCs) activated the provirus from latency. Activation did not involve DC-mediated C-type lectin DC-SIGN signaling or TCR-stimulation but was mediated by DC-secreted component(s) and cell-cell interaction between DC and T lymphocyte that could be inhibited by blocking ICAM-1 dependent adhesion. These results imply that circulating DCs could purge HIV-1 from latency and re-initiate virus replication. Moreover, our data show that viral latency can be established early after infection and supports the idea that actively proliferating T lymphocytes with an effector phenotype contribute to the latent viral reservoir. Unraveling this physiologically relevant purging mechanism could provide useful information for the development of new therapeutic strategies that aim at the eradication of HIV-1 reservoirs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renée M. van der Sluis
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Centre for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Thijs van Montfort
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Centre for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Georgios Pollakis
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Centre for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rogier W. Sanders
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Centre for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Dave Speijer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ben Berkhout
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Centre for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rienk E. Jeeninga
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Centre for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
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