HIV-1 persistence in CD4+ T cells with stem cell–like properties

MJ Buzon, H Sun, C Li, A Shaw, K Seiss, Z Ouyang… - Nature medicine, 2014 - nature.com
MJ Buzon, H Sun, C Li, A Shaw, K Seiss, Z Ouyang, E Martin-Gayo, J Leng, TJ Henrich, JZ Li
Nature medicine, 2014nature.com
Cellular HIV-1 reservoirs that persist despite antiretroviral treatment are incompletely
defined. We show that during suppressive antiretroviral therapy, CD4+ T memory stem cells
(TSCM cells) harbor high per-cell levels of HIV-1 DNA and make increasing contributions to
the total viral CD4+ T cell reservoir over time. Moreover, we conducted phylogenetic studies
that suggested long-term persistence of viral quasispecies in CD4+ TSCM cells. Thus, HIV-1
may exploit the stem cell characteristics of cellular immune memory to promote long-term …
Abstract
Cellular HIV-1 reservoirs that persist despite antiretroviral treatment are incompletely defined. We show that during suppressive antiretroviral therapy, CD4+ T memory stem cells (TSCM cells) harbor high per-cell levels of HIV-1 DNA and make increasing contributions to the total viral CD4+ T cell reservoir over time. Moreover, we conducted phylogenetic studies that suggested long-term persistence of viral quasispecies in CD4+ TSCM cells. Thus, HIV-1 may exploit the stem cell characteristics of cellular immune memory to promote long-term viral persistence.
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