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1.
Sci Rep ; 13(1): 4578, 2023 03 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36941272

ABSTRACT

There has been a surge in the emergence of HIV-1 drug resistance in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) due to poor drug-adherence and limited access to viral load testing, the current standard for treatment-monitoring. It is estimated that only 75% of people living with HIV (PLWH) worldwide have access to viral load testing. In LMICs, this figure is below 50%. In a recent WHO survey in mostly LMICs, 21 out of 30 countries surveyed found HIV-1 first-line pre-treatment drug resistance in over 10% of study participants. In the worst-affected regions, up to 68% of infants born to HIV-1 positive mothers were found to harbour first-line HIV-1 treatment resistance. This is a huge public health concern. Greater access to treatment-monitoring is required in LMICs if the UNAIDS "third 95" targets are to be achieved by 2030. Here, we review the current challenges of viral load testing and present the case for greater utilization of Laboratory-based assays that quantify intracellular HIV-1 RNA and/or DNA to provide broader worldwide access to HIV-1 surveillance, drug-resistance monitoring, and cure-research.


Subject(s)
Anti-HIV Agents , HIV Infections , HIV Seropositivity , HIV-1 , Infant , Humans , HIV-1/genetics , Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use , HIV Infections/drug therapy , HIV Seropositivity/drug therapy , Viral Load
2.
Vaccines (Basel) ; 11(2)2023 Feb 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36851349

ABSTRACT

An effective HIV vaccine will need to stimulate immune responses against the sequence diversity presented in circulating virus strains. In this study, we evaluate breadth and depth estimates of potential T-cell epitopes (PTEs) in transmitted founder virus sequence-derived cohort-specific peptide reagents against reagents representative of consensus and global sequences. CD8 T-cells from twenty-six HIV-1+ PBMC donor samples, obtained at 1-year post estimated date of infection, were evaluated. ELISpot assays compared responses to 15mer consensus (n = 121), multivalent-global (n = 320), and 10mer multivalent cohort-specific (n = 300) PTE peptides, all mapping to the Gag antigen. Responses to 38 consensus, 71 global, and 62 cohort-specific PTEs were confirmed, with sixty percent of common global and cohort-specific PTEs corresponding to consensus sequences. Both global and cohort-specific peptides exhibited broader epitope coverage compared to commonly used consensus reagents, with mean breadth estimates of 3.2 (global), 3.4 (cohort) and 2.2 (consensus) epitopes. Global or cohort peptides each identified unique epitope responses that would not be detected if these peptide pools were used alone. A peptide set designed around specific virologic and immunogenetic characteristics of a target cohort can expand the detection of CD8 T-cell responses to epitopes in circulating viruses, providing a novel way to better define the host response to HIV-1 with implications for vaccine development.

3.
Front Immunol ; 14: 1291048, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38343437

ABSTRACT

Background: Understanding how HIV affects SARS-CoV-2 immunity is crucial for managing COVID-19 in sub-Saharan populations due to frequent coinfections. Our previous research showed that unsuppressed HIV is associated with weaker immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We investigated how pre-existing T cell immunity against an endemic human coronavirus HCoV-NL63 impacts SARS-CoV-2 T cell responses in people living with HIV (PLWH) compared to uninfected individuals, and how HIV-related T cell dysfunction influences responses to SARS-CoV-2 variants. Methods: We used flow cytometry to measure T cell responses following PBMC stimulation with peptide pools representing beta, delta, wild-type, and HCoV-NL63 spike proteins. Luminex bead assay was used to measure circulating plasma chemokine and cytokine levels. ELISA and MSD V-PLEX COVID-19 Serology and ACE2 Neutralization assays were used to measure humoral responses. Results: Regardless of HIV status, we found a strong positive correlation between responses to HCoV-NL63 and SARS-CoV-2. However, PLWH exhibited weaker CD4+ T cell responses to both HCoV-NL63 and SARS-CoV-2 than HIV-uninfected individuals. PLWH also had higher proportions of functionally exhausted (PD-1high) CD4+ T cells producing fewer proinflammatory cytokines (IFNγ and TNFα) and had elevated plasma IL-2 and IL-12(p70) levels compared to HIV-uninfected individuals. HIV status didn't significantly affect IgG antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2 antigens or ACE2 binding inhibition activity. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the decrease in SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell responses in PLWH may be attributable to reduced frequencies of pre-existing cross-reactive responses. However, HIV infection minimally affected the quality and magnitude of humoral responses, and this could explain why the risk of severe COVID-19 in PLWH is highly heterogeneous.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Coronavirus NL63, Human , HIV Infections , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 , HIV Infections/epidemiology , Leukocytes, Mononuclear , T-Lymphocytes , Cytokines
4.
J Immunol Methods ; 491: 112970, 2021 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33529681

ABSTRACT

The genetic diversity of circulating HIV-1 strains poses a major barrier to the design, development and evaluation of HIV-1 vaccines. The assessment of both vaccine- and natural infection-elicited T cell responses is commonly done with multivalent peptides that are designed to maximally capture the diversity of potential T cell epitopes (PTEs) observed in natural circulating sequences. However, depending on the sequence diversity of viral subtypes and number of the HIV immunogens under investigation, PTE estimates, including HLA-guided computational methods, can easily generate enormous peptide libraries. Evaluation of T cell epitope specificity using such extensive peptide libraries is usually limited by sample availability, even for high-throughput and robust epitope mapping techniques like ELISpot assays. Here we describe a novel, two-step protocol for in-vitro polyclonal expansion of CD8 T cells from a single vial of frozen PBMC, which facilitated the screening 441 HIV-1 Gag peptides for immune responses among 32 HIV-1 positive subjects and 40 HIV-1 negative subjects for peptide qualification. Using a pooled-peptide mapping strategy, epitopes were mapped in two sequential ELISpot assays; the first ELISpot screened 33 large peptide pools using CD8 T cells expanded for 7 days, while the second step tested pool-matrix peptides to identify individual peptides using CD8 T cells expanded for 10 days. This comprehensive epitope screening established the breadth and magnitude of HIV-1 Gag-specific CD8 T cells and further revealed the extent of immune responses to variable/polymorphic epitopes.


Subject(s)
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Enzyme-Linked Immunospot Assay/methods , Epitope Mapping , Peptide Library , AIDS Vaccines/immunology , Adult , Antibodies, Bispecific/immunology , Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/immunology , Female , HIV-1/immunology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Young Adult , gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus/immunology
5.
Wellcome Open Res ; 5: 163, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32984549

ABSTRACT

Emerging highly transmissible viral infections such as SARS-CoV-2 pose a significant global threat to human health and the economy. Since its first appearance in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, China, SARS-CoV-2 infection has quickly spread across the globe, with the first case reported on the African continent, in Egypt on February 14 th, 2020. Although the global number of COVID-19 infections has increased exponentially since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of new infections and deaths recorded in African countries have been relatively modest, suggesting slower transmission dynamics of the virus on the continent, a lower case fatality rate, or simply a lack of testing or reliable data. Notably, there is no significant increase in unexplained pneumonias or deaths on the continent which could possibly indicate the effectiveness of interventions introduced by several African governments. However, there has not yet been a comprehensive assessment of sub-Saharan Africa's (SSA) preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic that may have contributed to prevent an uncontrolled outbreak so far. As a group of early career scientists and the next generation of African scientific leaders with experience of working in medical and diverse health research fields in both SSA and resource-rich countries, we present a unique perspective on the current public health interventions to fight COVID-19 in Africa. Our perspective is based on extensive review of the available scientific publications, official technical reports and announcements released by governmental and non-governmental health organizations as well as from our personal experiences as workers on the COVID-19 battlefield in SSA. We documented public health interventions implemented in seven SSA countries including Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Cameroon, Zambia, South Africa and Botswana, the existing gaps and the important components of disease control that may strengthen SSA response to future outbreaks.

6.
PLoS Pathog ; 15(8): e1007981, 2019 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31449552

ABSTRACT

Despite extensive research on the mechanisms of HLA-mediated immune control of HIV-1 pathogenesis, it is clear that much remains to be discovered, as exemplified by protective HLA alleles like HLA-B*81 which are associated with profound protection from CD4+ T cell decline without robust control of early plasma viremia. Here, we report on additional HLA class I (B*1401, B*57, B*5801, as well as B*81), and HLA class II (DQB1*02 and DRB1*15) alleles that display discordant virological and immunological phenotypes in a Zambian early infection cohort. HLA class I alleles of this nature were also associated with enhanced immune responses to conserved epitopes in Gag. Furthermore, these HLA class I alleles were associated with reduced levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the plasma during acute infection. Elevated LPS levels measured early in infection predicted accelerated CD4+ T cell decline, as well as immune activation and exhaustion. Taken together, these data suggest novel mechanisms for HLA-mediated immune control of HIV-1 pathogenesis that do not necessarily involve significant control of early viremia and point to microbial translocation as a direct driver of HIV-1 pathogenesis rather than simply a consequence.


Subject(s)
CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Genes, MHC Class I/genetics , HIV Infections/immunology , HIV-1/immunology , HIV-1/pathogenicity , Lipopolysaccharides/deficiency , Virus Replication/immunology , Alleles , Cohort Studies , Female , HIV Infections/genetics , HIV Infections/virology , HIV-1/genetics , Humans , Male , T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology , Viral Load , Virus Replication/genetics
7.
AIDS ; 32(12): 1613-1623, 2018 07 31.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29762171

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to understand the basis of continued HIV-1 transmission in Zambian and Rwandan HIV-1-discordant couples in the context of antiretroviral therapy (ART). DESIGN: We identified nine Zambian and seven Rwandan acutely infected, epidemiologically-linked couples from government couples' voluntary counseling and testing (CVCT) clinics where transmitting partners reported being on ART near the time of transmission. METHODS: We quantified viral load and plasma antiretroviral drug concentrations near the time of transmission and used these as surrogate measures for adherence. We also sequenced the polymerase gene from both donor and recipient partners to determine the presence of drug resistance mutations (DRMs). RESULTS: In Zambia, all transmitting partners had detectable viral loads, and 8/9 were not on therapeutic antiretroviral regimens. In the remaining couple, despite being on a therapeutic regimen, DRMs were present and transmitted. In Rwanda, although six of seven transmitting partners had detectable viral loads, therapeutic levels of antiretroviral drugs were detected in four of seven, but were accompanied by DRMs. In the remaining three couples, either no antiretrovirals or subtherapeutic regimens were detected. CONCLUSIONS: A reduction of ART effectiveness in nontrial settings was associated with lack of antiretrovirals in plasma and detectable viral load, and also drug resistance. In Zambia, where CVCT is not widely implemented, inconsistent adherence was high in couples unaware of their HIV discordance. In Rwanda, where CVCT is deployed country-wide, virologic failure was associated with drug resistance and subsequent transmission. Together, these findings suggest that increasing ART availability in resource-limited settings without risk reduction strategies that promote adherence may not be sufficient to control the HIV epidemic in the post-ART era.


Subject(s)
Anti-Retroviral Agents/therapeutic use , Disease Transmission, Infectious , Family Characteristics , HIV Infections/drug therapy , HIV Infections/transmission , Medication Adherence , Adult , Anti-Retroviral Agents/blood , Drug Resistance, Viral , Female , HIV-1/genetics , HIV-1/isolation & purification , Health Services Accessibility , Humans , Male , Plasma/virology , Rwanda , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Viral Load , Zambia , pol Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
8.
Transplant Direct ; 3(12): e335, 2017 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29536036

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Antibody-mediated rejection in solid organ transplantation is an important immunological barrier to successful long-term graft survival. Next to complement activation, natural killer (NK) cells have been implicated in the process. Human cytomegalovirus (CMV), independently associated with decreased graft survival, has a strong imprint on the immune response. Here, we assessed the effect of CMV status on alloreactive NK cell reactivity. METHODS: We compared antibody-mediated NK cell cytolytic activity (CD107a expression) and IFNγ production between healthy CMV-seropositive (n = 8) and CMV-seronegative (n = 11) individuals, in cocultures of NK cells with anti-HLA class I or rituximab (control) antibody-coated Raji cells. RESULTS: First, we showed that within the NKG2C+ NK cells, it is specifically the NKG2C+/A- subset that is enriched in CMV+ individuals. We then observed that in particular the NK cell antibody-dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), but also non-ADCC alloreactivity toward HLA-positive target cells was increased in CMV+ individuals as compared to CMV- ones. This enhanced ADCC as well as non-ADCC NK cell reactivity in CMV+ individuals was particularly characterized by a significantly higher number of ILT2+ and NKG2C+ NK cells that possessed cytolytic activity and/or produced IFNγ in response to HLA-positive target cells. CONCLUSIONS: With regard to organ transplantation, these data suggest that CMV infection enhances NK cell alloreactivity, which may pose an additional adverse effect on graft survival, especially in the presence of donor specific antibodies.

9.
Transpl Immunol ; 37: 1-9, 2016 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27142560

ABSTRACT

Graft rejection and graft-versus-host disease are leading causes of transplant related mortality despite advancements in immunosuppressive therapy. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) offer a promising addition to immunosuppressive drugs (ISD), while NK-cells are increasingly used as effector cells in graft-versus-leukemia. Combined therapy of ISD, NK-cells and/or MSCs is used in clinical practice. Here, we examined the effects of MSCs and selected ISD (tacrolimus, cyclosporin A, mycophenolic acid, dexamethasone) treatment on early NK-cell activation. We assessed STAT4 and STAT5 phosphorylation triggered by IL-12 and IL-2, respectively. Furthermore, we determined IFNγ, perforin production and the expression pattern of selected NK-cell receptors. Of all drugs tested, only dexamethasone inhibited NK-cell STAT4 and STAT5 phosphorylation. All ISD, with the exception of MPA, significantly inhibited IFNγ, and only dexamethasone inhibited upregulation of early activation markers CD69 and CD25 (IL-2 condition only). MSCs inhibited IL-2 induced NK cell STAT5 phosphorylation, IFNγ production and CD69 upregulation, and IL-12 induced IFNγ and perforin production. While MSCs mediated inhibition of CD69 expression was cell contact dependent, inhibition of IFNγ and perforin production, as well as STAT5 phosphorylation was cell-contact independent. Importantly, dexamethasone augmented MSCs mediated inhibition of both IL-12 and IL-2 induced CD69 expression and IFNγ production, as well as IL-2 induced STAT5 phosphorylation. Taken together, these novel insights may help the design of future NK-cell and MSCs based immunotherapy.


Subject(s)
Dexamethasone/pharmacology , Graft Rejection/immunology , Graft vs Host Disease/immunology , Graft vs Leukemia Effect/immunology , Immunosuppressive Agents/pharmacology , Killer Cells, Natural/immunology , Mesenchymal Stem Cells/immunology , Transplantation , Antigens, CD/metabolism , Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte/metabolism , Cells, Cultured , Combined Modality Therapy , Dexamethasone/therapeutic use , Graft Rejection/prevention & control , Graft vs Host Disease/prevention & control , Humans , Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use , Interferon-gamma/metabolism , Interleukin-12/immunology , Interleukin-2/immunology , Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit/metabolism , Lectins, C-Type/metabolism , Lymphocyte Activation , Perforin/metabolism , Phosphorylation/drug effects , STAT4 Transcription Factor/metabolism , STAT5 Transcription Factor/metabolism , Up-Regulation/drug effects
10.
Transplantation ; 99(7): 1506-13, 2015 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25427165

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus(CMV) infections have a significant effect on morbidity and mortality in kidney transplants. We conducted a study to ascertain the association of natural killer cell killer immunoglobulin-like receptors and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotype with risk of CMV disease. METHODS: The 90 CMV-negative patients receiving a first renal transplantation from a CMV-positive donor in this study received triple immunosuppressive therapy and prophylactic CMV treatment for up to 3 months after transplantation. RESULTS: We observed a 43.3% incidence rate of CMV disease within the first year after transplantation. Twenty-seven recipients experienced a rejection episode, 14 of which had CMV disease, mostly after rejection, suggesting that in this group, CMV disease is not a risk factor for rejection. KIR gene or genotype distribution were similar between the CMV diseased and CMV disease-free group. Twenty-seven recipients (30%) carried KIR-AA genotype, of which nine (33%) had CMV disease. Of the remaining 63 (70%) recipients with KIR-BX genotype, 30 (48%) had CMV disease. There was no significant difference between the two genotype groups with regard to occurrence of CMV disease, although there was a trend toward a lower incidence of CMV disease in recipients carrying the KIR-AA genotype. For CMV disease, we found no significant risk associated with the number of activating or inhibitory KIRs. Neither was missing KIR ligands for the inhibitory KIRs (HLA-C1/C2/Bw4) in recipients associated with lower rates of CMV disease. CONCLUSION: In CMV-negative recipients, genotypic analysis of KIR repertoire and HLA ligands does not provide risk factors for primary CMV disease after renal transplantation.


Subject(s)
Cytomegalovirus Infections/genetics , HLA Antigens/genetics , Kidney Transplantation/adverse effects , Receptors, KIR/genetics , Adult , Antiviral Agents/administration & dosage , Cytomegalovirus Infections/epidemiology , Cytomegalovirus Infections/immunology , Cytomegalovirus Infections/prevention & control , Cytomegalovirus Infections/virology , Drug Therapy, Combination , Female , Gene Frequency , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Graft Rejection/epidemiology , Graft Rejection/genetics , Graft Rejection/immunology , HLA Antigens/immunology , Humans , Immunocompromised Host , Immunosuppressive Agents/adverse effects , Incidence , Male , Middle Aged , Phenotype , Receptors, KIR/immunology , Risk Factors , Time Factors , Treatment Outcome
11.
Transpl Immunol ; 31(4): 191-4, 2014 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25239648

ABSTRACT

In the consortium "ALLOVIR" we aim to characterize the effect of CMV and BKV infections on the innate immune responses to viral and alloantigens. Furthermore, we want to characterize the interplay between adaptive immune responses to viral and alloantigens with emphasis on the role of heterologous immunity. Thirdly, we will characterize the manifestations of these immune responses in the allograft, as reflected in tissue and urine, and their correlation with graft function. Finally, we will assess how immunosuppressive drugs interfere with these cross-reactive immune responses.


Subject(s)
Cross Reactions/immunology , Cytomegalovirus Infections/immunology , Isoantigens/immunology , Kidney Transplantation/adverse effects , Polyomavirus Infections/immunology , Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use , BK Virus/immunology , Cytomegalovirus/immunology , Graft Rejection/immunology , Humans , Immunosuppression Therapy/methods , Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use , Kidney/virology , Netherlands , Transplantation, Homologous
12.
Cell Mol Immunol ; 11(2): 160-8, 2014 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24240123

ABSTRACT

In allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT), natural killer (NK) cells lacking their cognate inhibitory ligand can induce graft-versus-leukemia responses, without the induction of severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). This feature can be exploited for cellular immunotherapy. In this study, we examined selective expansion of NK cell subsets expressing distinct killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) within the whole human peripheral blood NK cell population, in the presence of HLA-Cw3 (C1) or Cw4 (C2) transfected K562 stimulator cells. Coculture of KIR(+) NK cells with C1 or C2 positive K562 cells, in the presence of IL-2+IL-15, triggered the outgrowth of NK cells that missed their cognate ligand. This resulted in an increased frequency of alloreactive KIR(+) NK cells within the whole NK cell population. Also, after preculture with K562 cells lacking their cognate ligand, we observed that this alloreactive NK population revealed higher numbers of CD107(+) cells when cocultured with the relevant K562 HLA-C transfected target cells, as compared to coculture with untransfected K562 cells. This enhanced reactivity was confirmed using primary leukemic cells as target. This study demonstrates that HLA class I expression can mediate the skewing of the NK cell repertoire and enrich the population for cells with enhanced alloreactivity towards leukemic target cells. This feature may support future clinical applications of NK cell-based immunotherapy.


Subject(s)
Immunotherapy/methods , Killer Cells, Natural/immunology , Leukemia/immunology , Leukemia/therapy , Stem Cell Transplantation , Cell Proliferation , Coculture Techniques , Graft vs Leukemia Effect/genetics , Graft vs Leukemia Effect/immunology , HLA-C Antigens/genetics , HLA-C Antigens/metabolism , Humans , Immunotherapy/trends , Interleukin-15/immunology , Interleukin-2/immunology , K562 Cells , Lysosomal-Associated Membrane Protein 1/metabolism , Transgenes/genetics , Transplantation, Homologous
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