HIV is playing hide and seek

Features of immune T-cells in which HIV hides

Tatiana Ten, Life4me+

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is very effective in combating the spread of HIV, but the virus never completely disappears from the body. Instead, it hides in about 1 in 1,000,000 immune cells.

In particular, HIV hides in special cells called cytotoxic CD4 T cells. A study by scientists from the Yale School of Medicine (Collora et al., Single-cell multiomics reveals the persistence of HIV-1 in expanded cytotoxic T cell clones) It has shown that cells infected with HIV are "the best fighters of the immune system" and are able to protect themselves from destruction by other immune cells. To study these cells, the experts used multi-genome sequencing technology.

Cytotoxic CD4 T cells, in which HIV hides, produce 2 types of proteins: Granzyme B – to fight cancer; Serpin B9 — for protection against toxins. And when HIV hides behind these "well-protected fighters," the immune system cannot eliminate infected cells.

Scientists have also found that, despite ARV therapy, "powerful T cells" in which HIV is hidden can be cloned.

The main conclusions of the study:

• Most T cell clones infected with HIV are large, stable, and are cytotoxic effector cells of Th1 memory.
• Some HIV RNAs convert hereditary protein information and can be protected from CD8 T cell death.
• Antigen stimulation and cytotoxic T cell responses determine the size of the T cell clone.
• Early initiation of ART cannot completely reduce chronic immune activation.

People living with HIV (PLHIV) have higher levels of inflammation, a condition known as chronic antigenic stimulation that increases the number of T cells potentially hiding HIV.

"One of the immediate ways to eradicate latent HIV is to control chronic antigenic stimulation in PLHIV. When these dangerous pathogens disappear, the body will naturally reduce the number of cytotoxic T cells, and, consequently, reduce the number of shelters for HIV," the scientists say.

According to experts, further research is needed to find answers to the following questions: why is the number of cells in which HIV is hiding growing, and how to kill the virus without damaging key cells of the immune system?

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru