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Mudd JC. Quantitative and Qualitative Distinctions between HIV-1 and SIV Reservoirs: Implications for HIV-1 Cure-Related Studies. Viruses 2024; 16:514. [PMID: 38675857 PMCID: PMC11054464 DOI: 10.3390/v16040514] [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: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The persistence of the latent viral reservoir is the main hurdle to curing HIV-1 infection. SIV infection of non-human primates (NHPs), namely Indian-origin rhesus macaques, is the most relevant and widely used animal model to evaluate therapies that seek to eradicate HIV-1. The utility of a model ultimately rests on how accurately it can recapitulate human disease, and while reservoirs in the NHP model behave quantitatively very similar to those of long-term suppressed persons with HIV-1 (PWH) in the most salient aspects, recent studies have uncovered key nuances at the clonotypic level that differentiate the two in qualitative terms. In this review, we will highlight differences relating to proviral intactness, clonotypic structure, and decay rate during ART between HIV-1 and SIV reservoirs and discuss the relevance of these distinctions in the interpretation of HIV-1 cure strategies. While these, to some degree, may reflect a unique biology of the virus or host, distinctions among the proviral landscape in SIV are likely to be shaped significantly by the condensed timeframe of NHP studies. ART is generally initiated earlier in the disease course, and animals are virologically suppressed for shorter periods before receiving interventions. Because these are experimental variables dictated by the investigator, we offer guidance on study design for cure-related studies performed in the NHP model. Finally, we highlight the case of GS-9620 (Vesatolimod), an antiviral TLR7 agonist tested in multiple independent pre-clinical studies in which virological outcomes may have been influenced by study-related variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph C. Mudd
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA 70433, USA;
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
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Rausch JW, Parvez S, Pathak S, Capoferri AA, Kearney MF. HIV Expression in Infected T Cell Clones. Viruses 2024; 16:108. [PMID: 38257808 PMCID: PMC10820123 DOI: 10.3390/v16010108] [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: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The principal barrier to an HIV-1 cure is the persistence of infected cells harboring replication-competent proviruses despite antiretroviral therapy (ART). HIV-1 transcriptional suppression, referred to as viral latency, is foremost among persistence determinants, as it allows infected cells to evade the cytopathic effects of virion production and killing by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and other immune factors. HIV-1 persistence is also governed by cellular proliferation, an innate and essential capacity of CD4+ T cells that both sustains cell populations over time and enables a robust directed response to immunological threats. However, when HIV-1 infects CD4+ T cells, this capacity for proliferation can enable surreptitious HIV-1 propagation without the deleterious effects of viral gene expression in latently infected cells. Over time on ART, the HIV-1 reservoir is shaped by both persistence determinants, with selective forces most often favoring clonally expanded infected cell populations harboring transcriptionally quiescent proviruses. Moreover, if HIV latency is incomplete or sporadically reversed in clonal infected cell populations that are replenished faster than they are depleted, such populations could both persist indefinitely and contribute to low-level persistent viremia during ART and viremic rebound if treatment is withdrawn. In this review, select genetic, epigenetic, cellular, and immunological determinants of viral transcriptional suppression and clonal expansion of HIV-1 reservoir T cells, interdependencies among these determinants, and implications for HIV-1 persistence will be presented and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason W. Rausch
- HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; (S.P.); (S.P.); (A.A.C.); (M.F.K.)
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Kinloch NN, Shahid A, Dong W, Kirkby D, Jones BR, Beelen CJ, MacMillan D, Lee GQ, Mota TM, Sudderuddin H, Barad E, Harris M, Brumme CJ, Jones RB, Brockman MA, Joy JB, Brumme ZL. HIV reservoirs are dominated by genetically younger and clonally enriched proviruses. mBio 2023; 14:e0241723. [PMID: 37971267 PMCID: PMC10746175 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02417-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Characterizing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reservoir that endures despite antiretroviral therapy (ART) is critical to cure efforts. We observed that the oldest proviruses persisting during ART were exclusively defective, while intact proviruses (and rebound HIV) dated to nearer ART initiation. This helps explain why studies that sampled sub-genomic proviruses on-ART (which are largely defective) routinely found sequences dating to early infection, whereas those that sampled replication-competent HIV found almost none. Together with our findings that intact proviruses were more likely to be clonal, and that on-ART low-level/isolated viremia originated from proviruses of varying ages (including possibly defective ones), our observations indicate that (i) on-ART and rebound viremia can have distinct within-host origins, (ii) intact proviruses have shorter lifespans than grossly defective ones and thus depend more heavily on clonal expansion for persistence, and (iii) an HIV reservoir predominantly "dating" to near ART initiation will be substantially adapted to within-host pressures, complicating immune-based cure strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie N. Kinloch
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Aniqa Shahid
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Winnie Dong
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Don Kirkby
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Bradley R. Jones
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Bioinformatics Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Charlotte J. Beelen
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Daniel MacMillan
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Guinevere Q. Lee
- Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Talia M. Mota
- Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Hanwei Sudderuddin
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Experimental Medicine Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Evan Barad
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marianne Harris
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Chanson J. Brumme
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - R. Brad Jones
- Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Mark A. Brockman
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jeffrey B. Joy
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Bioinformatics Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Zabrina L. Brumme
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Więcek K, Chen HC. Understanding latent HIV-1 reservoirs through host genomics approaches. iScience 2023; 26:108342. [PMID: 38026212 PMCID: PMC10665824 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetically intact HIV-1 proviruses are a major concern with regard to curing infection because they cause viral rebound after the cessation of antiretroviral therapy. However, intact proviruses are not prevalent in HIV-1 reservoirs. As such, it is essential to precisely determine the position of these proviruses before putting forward a better antiretroviral cure. Recently, a revised HIV-1 deeply latent reservoir concept has been proposed, stating that the progress of the establishment of HIV-1 reservoirs is influenced by immune-mediated selection during the course of infection. This selection force leads to the persistence of genetically intact proviruses as those with the best fit to avoid clearance. This hypothesis refreshes our understanding of HIV-1 latent reservoirs. For this reason, we reviewed current studies relevant to this theme and provide our perspectives to reinforce the overall understanding of HIV-1 latency in the context of the host genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamil Więcek
- Epigenetics of Infectious Diseases Research Group, Population Diagnostics Center, Lukasiewicz Research Network – PORT Polish Center for Technology Development, Stablowicka 147, 54-066 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Heng-Chang Chen
- Epigenetics of Infectious Diseases Research Group, Population Diagnostics Center, Lukasiewicz Research Network – PORT Polish Center for Technology Development, Stablowicka 147, 54-066 Wroclaw, Poland
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Reeves DB, Bacchus-Souffan C, Fitch M, Abdel-Mohsen M, Hoh R, Ahn H, Stone M, Hecht F, Martin J, Deeks SG, Hellerstein MK, McCune JM, Schiffer JT, Hunt PW. Estimating the contribution of CD4 T cell subset proliferation and differentiation to HIV persistence. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6145. [PMID: 37783718 PMCID: PMC10545742 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41521-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Persistence of HIV in people living with HIV (PWH) on suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been linked to physiological mechanisms of CD4+ T cells. Here, in the same 37 male PWH on ART we measure longitudinal kinetics of HIV DNA and cell turnover rates in five CD4 cell subsets: naïve (TN), stem-cell- (TSCM), central- (TCM), transitional- (TTM), and effector-memory (TEM). HIV decreases in TTM and TEM but not in less-differentiated subsets. Cell turnover is ~10 times faster than HIV clearance in memory subsets, implying that cellular proliferation consistently creates HIV DNA. The optimal mathematical model for these integrated data sets posits HIV DNA also passages between CD4 cell subsets via cellular differentiation. Estimates are heterogeneous, but in an average participant's year ~10 (in TN and TSCM) and ~104 (in TCM, TTM, TEM) proviruses are generated by proliferation while ~103 proviruses passage via cell differentiation (per million CD4). In simulations, therapies blocking proliferation and/or enhancing differentiation could reduce HIV DNA by 1-2 logs over 3 years. In summary, HIV exploits cellular proliferation and differentiation to persist during ART but clears faster in more proliferative/differentiated CD4 cell subsets and the same physiological mechanisms sustaining HIV might be temporarily modified to reduce it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Reeves
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA.
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific St, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
| | | | - Mark Fitch
- Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, University Avenue and Oxford St, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | | | - Rebecca Hoh
- Department of Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, 1001 Potrero Ave, San Francisco, CA, 94100, USA
| | - Haelee Ahn
- Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, 1001 Potrero Ave, San Francisco, CA, 94100, USA
| | - Mars Stone
- Vitalant Research Institute, 360 Spear St Suite 200, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA
| | - Frederick Hecht
- Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, 1001 Potrero Ave, San Francisco, CA, 94100, USA
| | - Jeffrey Martin
- Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, 550 16th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Steven G Deeks
- Department of Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, 1001 Potrero Ave, San Francisco, CA, 94100, USA
| | - Marc K Hellerstein
- Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, University Avenue and Oxford St, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Joseph M McCune
- HIV Frontiers, Global Health Accelerator, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 500 5th Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Joshua T Schiffer
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
- Department of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific St, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Peter W Hunt
- Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, 1001 Potrero Ave, San Francisco, CA, 94100, USA
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Pierce CA, Loh LN, Steach HR, Cheshenko N, Preston-Hurlburt P, Zhang F, Stransky S, Kravets L, Sidoli S, Philbrick W, Nassar M, Krishnaswamy S, Herold KC, Herold BC. HSV-2 triggers upregulation of MALAT1 in CD4+ T cells and promotes HIV latency reversal. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e164317. [PMID: 37079384 PMCID: PMC10232005 DOI: 10.1172/jci164317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) coinfection is associated with increased HIV-1 viral loads and expanded tissue reservoirs, but the mechanisms are not well defined. HSV-2 recurrences result in an influx of activated CD4+ T cells to sites of viral replication and an increase in activated CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood. We hypothesized that HSV-2 induces changes in these cells that facilitate HIV-1 reactivation and replication and tested this hypothesis in human CD4+ T cells and 2D10 cells, a model of HIV-1 latency. HSV-2 promoted latency reversal in HSV-2-infected and bystander 2D10 cells. Bulk and single-cell RNA-Seq studies of activated primary human CD4+ T cells identified decreased expression of HIV-1 restriction factors and increased expression of transcripts including MALAT1 that could drive HIV replication in both the HSV-2-infected and bystander cells. Transfection of 2D10 cells with VP16, an HSV-2 protein that regulates transcription, significantly upregulated MALAT1 expression, decreased trimethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 protein, and triggered HIV latency reversal. Knockout of MALAT1 from 2D10 cells abrogated the response to VP16 and reduced the response to HSV-2 infection. These results demonstrate that HSV-2 contributes to HIV-1 reactivation through diverse mechanisms, including upregulation of MALAT1 to release epigenetic silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl A. Pierce
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Lip Nam Loh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Natalia Cheshenko
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Fengrui Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | - Leah Kravets
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - William Philbrick
- Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Michel Nassar
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Smita Krishnaswamy
- Department of Computational Biology
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Kevan C. Herold
- Department of Immunobiology, and
- Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Betsy C. Herold
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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Kinloch NN, Shahid A, Dong W, Kirkby D, Jones BR, Beelen CJ, MacMillan D, Lee GQ, Mota TM, Sudderuddin H, Barad E, Harris M, Brumme CJ, Jones RB, Brockman MA, Joy JB, Brumme ZL. HIV reservoirs are dominated by genetically younger and clonally enriched proviruses. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.12.536611. [PMID: 37090500 PMCID: PMC10120704 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.12.536611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
In order to cure HIV, we need to better understand the within-host evolutionary origins of the small reservoir of genome-intact proviruses that persists within infected cells during antiretroviral therapy (ART). Most prior studies on reservoir evolutionary dynamics however did not discriminate genome-intact proviruses from the vast background of defective ones. We reconstructed within-host pre-ART HIV evolutionary histories in six individuals and leveraged this information to infer the ages of intact and defective proviruses sampled after an average >9 years on ART, along with the ages of rebound and low-level/isolated viremia occurring during this time. We observed that the longest-lived proviruses persisting on ART were exclusively defective, usually due to large deletions. In contrast, intact proviruses and rebound HIV exclusively dated to the years immediately preceding ART. These observations are consistent with genome-intact proviruses having shorter lifespans, likely due to the cumulative risk of elimination following viral reactivation and protein production. Consistent with this, intact proviruses (and those with packaging signal defects) were three times more likely to be genetically identical compared to other proviral types, highlighting clonal expansion as particularly important in ensuring their survival. By contrast, low-level/isolated viremia sequences were genetically heterogeneous and sometimes ancestral, where viremia may have originated from defective proviruses. Results reveal that the HIV reservoir is dominated by clonally-enriched and genetically younger sequences that date to the untreated infection period when viral populations had been under within-host selection pressures for the longest duration. Knowledge of these qualities may help focus strategies for reservoir elimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie N. Kinloch
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC
| | - Aniqa Shahid
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC
| | - Winnie Dong
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC
| | - Don Kirkby
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC
| | - Bradley R. Jones
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC
- Bioinformatics Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | | | - Daniel MacMillan
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC
| | - Guinevere Q. Lee
- Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Talia M. Mota
- Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hanwei Sudderuddin
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC
- Experimental Medicine Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Evan Barad
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC
| | - Marianne Harris
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC
- Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Chanson J. Brumme
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - R. Brad Jones
- Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mark A. Brockman
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby BC
| | - Jeffrey B. Joy
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC
- Bioinformatics Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Zabrina L. Brumme
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC
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Schiffer JT, Levy C, Hughes SM, Pandey U, Padullo M, Jerome KR, Zhu H, Puckett K, Helgeson E, Harrington RD, Hladik F. Stable HIV Reservoir Despite Prolonged Low-Dose Mycophenolate to Limit CD4+ T-cell Proliferation. Open Forum Infect Dis 2022; 9:ofac620. [PMID: 36519118 PMCID: PMC9745781 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofac620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The HIV reservoir of latently infected CD4+ T cells represents the barrier to cure. CD4+ T-cell proliferation is a mechanism that sustains the reservoir even during prolonged antiretroviral therapy (ART). Blocking proliferation may therefore deplete the reservoir. Methods We conducted an unblinded, uncontrolled clinical trial of mycophenolate, a T-cell antiproliferative compound, in people with HIV on chronic suppressive ART. Study drug dose selection was based on calibration to an observed ex vivo antiproliferative effect. The primary outcome was clinically significant reduction (>0.25 log10) in the HIV reservoir, measured by total and intact HIV DNA per million T cells in blood over 48 weeks. Results Five participants enrolled in the trial. Four participants took mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). One had a per-protocol switch to enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (Myfortic) due to nausea but left the study for personal reasons. One participant developed finger cellulitis, but there were no opportunistic infections. In the 4 participants who completed the protocol, there was no clinically significant reduction in total or intact HIV DNA. There was no change in blood CD4+ T-cell subset composition within the HIV reservoir or the entire CD4+ T-cell population, although total CD4+ T cells decreased slightly in all 4 participants. An ex vivo antiproliferative effect was observed using participant serum obtained 1 hour after dosing, but this effect was severely diminished at drug trough. Conclusions Mycophenolate given over 48 weeks did not reduce the volume or composition of the HIV reservoir. Clinical Trials registration NCT03262441.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua T Schiffer
- Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Claire Levy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Sean M Hughes
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Urvashi Pandey
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Mel Padullo
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Keith R Jerome
- Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Haiying Zhu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Katrina Puckett
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Eric Helgeson
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Florian Hladik
- Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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