ABSTRACT
Objective@#To investigate the expression of CD160 in HIV-specific T cells and their subsets in peripheral blood of asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals.@*Methods@#A total of 43 asymptomatic HIV-infected individuals without antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 18 healthy controls were recruited from the No. 302 Hospital of PLA between June 2014 and November 2015. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated from peripheral bloods of these subjects. CD160 was stained with fluorescent antibody. Expression of CD160 in HIV-specific T cells and their subsets was detected by flow cytometry.@*Results@#The frequency and median fluorescence intensity (MFI) of CD160 on the whole HIV-specific CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells were higher than those in the healthy controls(P<0.01). In subsets of HIV-specific CD4+ T cells, the MFI of CD160 in CD4+ Tn cells and CD4+ Teff cells, and the frequency of CD160 in CD4+ Teff cells were significantly increased (P<0.01). CD8+ Tn fine, CD8+ Tcm cells and CD8+ Tem cells showed a significant upregulation in the frequency and MFI of CD160 (P<0.01).@*Conclusions@#Chronic HIV infection can lead to high expression of CD160 in HIV-specific T cells and their different subsets, causing cellular immune dysfunction, which may further impair the ability to control the HIV virus.