RESUMO
HIV viral reservoirs are established very early during infection. Resident memory T cells (TRM) are present in tissues such as the lower female genital tract, but the contribution of this subset of cells to the pathogenesis and persistence of HIV remains unclear. Here, we show that cervical CD4+TRM display a unique repertoire of clusters of differentiation, with enrichment of several molecules associated with HIV infection susceptibility, longevity and self-renewing capacities. These protein profiles are enriched in a fraction of CD4+TRM expressing CD32. Cervical explant models show that CD4+TRM preferentially support HIV infection and harbor more viral DNA and protein than non-TRM. Importantly, cervical tissue from ART-suppressed HIV+ women contain high levels of viral DNA and RNA, being the TRM fraction the principal contributor. These results recognize the lower female genital tract as an HIV sanctuary and identify CD4+TRM as primary targets of HIV infection and viral persistence. Thus, strategies towards an HIV cure will need to consider TRM phenotypes, which are widely distributed in tissues.
Assuntos
Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/imunologia , Infecções por HIV/imunologia , HIV-1/imunologia , Memória Imunológica/imunologia , Adulto , Idoso , Antirretrovirais/uso terapêutico , Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/efeitos dos fármacos , Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/virologia , Colo do Útero/efeitos dos fármacos , Colo do Útero/virologia , Reservatórios de Doenças/virologia , Feminino , Infecções por HIV/tratamento farmacológico , Infecções por HIV/virologia , HIV-1/efeitos dos fármacos , HIV-1/genética , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Mucosa/efeitos dos fármacos , Mucosa/virologia , Carga Viral/efeitos dos fármacos , Carga Viral/genética , Carga Viral/imunologiaRESUMO
Antigen presenting cells from the cervical mucosa are thought to amplify incoming HIV-1 and spread infection systemically without being productively infected. Yet, the molecular mechanism at the cervical mucosa underlying this viral transmission pathway remains unknown. Here we identified a subset of HLA-DR+ CD14+ CD11c+ cervical DCs at the lamina propria of the ectocervix and the endocervix that expressed the type-I interferon inducible lectin Siglec-1 (CD169), which promoted viral uptake. In the cervical biopsy of a viremic HIV-1+ patient, Siglec-1+ cells harbored HIV-1-containing compartments, demonstrating that in vivo, these cells trap viruses. Ex vivo, a type-I interferon antiviral environment enhanced viral capture and trans-infection via Siglec-1. Nonetheless, HIV-1 transfer via cervical DCs was effectively prevented with antibodies against Siglec-1. Our findings contribute to decipher how cervical DCs may boost HIV-1 replication and promote systemic viral spread from the cervical mucosa, and highlight the importance of including inhibitors against Siglec-1 in microbicidal strategies.
