HIV Controllers Exhibit Enhanced Frequencies of Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Tetramer+ Gag-Specific CD4+ T Cells in Chronic Clade C HIV-1 Infection

Immune control of viral infections is heavily dependent on helper CD4(+) T cell function. However, the understanding of the contribution of HIV-specific CD4(+) T cell responses to immune protection against HIV-1, particularly in clade C infection, remains incomplete. Recently, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II tetramers have emerged as a powerful tool for interrogating antigen-specific CD4(+) T cells without relying on effector functions. Here, we defined the MHC class II alleles for immunodominant Gag CD4(+) T cell epitopes in clade C virus infection, constructed MHC class II tetramers, and then used these to define the magnitude, function, and relation to the viral load of HIV-specific CD4(+) T cell responses in a cohort of untreated HIV clade C-infected persons. We observed significantly higher frequencies of MHC class II tetramer-positive CD4(+) T cells in HIV controllers than progressors (P = 0.0001), and these expanded Gag-specific CD4(+) T cells in HIV controllers showed higher levels of expression of the cytolytic proteins granzymes A and B. Importantly, targeting of the immunodominant Gag41 peptide in the context of HLA class II DRB1*1101 was associated with HIV control (r = −0.5, P = 0.02). These data identify an association between HIV-specific CD4(+) T cell targeting of immunodominant Gag epitopes and immune control, particularly the contribution of a single class II MHC-peptide complex to the immune response against HIV-1 infection. Furthermore, these results highlight the advantage of the use of class II tetramers in evaluating HIV-specific CD4(+) T cell responses in natural infections. IMPORTANCE Increasing evidence suggests that virus-specific CD4(+) T cells contribute to the immune-mediated control of clade B HIV-1 infection, yet there remains a relative paucity of data regarding the role of HIV-specific CD4(+) T cells in shaping adaptive immune responses in individuals infected with clade C, which is responsible for the majority of HIV infections worldwide. Understanding the contribution of HIV-specific CD4(+) T cell responses in clade C infection is particularly important for developing vaccines that would be efficacious in sub-Saharan Africa, where clade C infection is dominant. Here, we employed MHC class II tetramers designed to immunodominant Gag epitopes and used them to characterize CD4(+) T cell responses in HIV-1 clade C infection. Our results demonstrate an association between the frequency of HIV-specific CD4(+) T cell responses targeting an immunodominant DRB1*11-Gag41 complex and HIV control, highlighting the important contribution of a single class II MHC-peptide complex to the immune response against HIV-1 infections

Single-cell analysis tools for drug discovery and development

The genetic, functional or compositional heterogeneity of healthy and diseased tissues presents major challenges in drug discovery and development. Such heterogeneity hinders the design of accurate disease models and can confound the interpretation of biomarker levels and of patient responses to specific therapies. The complex nature of virtually all tissues has motivated the development of tools for single-cell genomic, transcriptomic and multiplex proteomic analyses. Here, we review these tools and assess their advantages and limitations. Emerging applications of single cell analysis tools in drug discovery and development, particularly in the field of oncology, are discussed

A study of zearalenone cytotoxicity on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

The mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEA) is a common contaminant of all major cereal grains worldwide with estrogenic and anabolic activity. We investigated the in vitro cytopathic effects of ZEA on freshly isolated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in relation to proliferation and cell death patterns of untreated and mitogen-activated cells. The higher concentration of 30 mu g/ml ZEA was found to totally inhibit T and B lymphocyte proliferation from the stimulation with phytohemagglutinin and pokeweed mitogen. The inhibitory effects of ZEA were further related to cell necrosis/apoptosis. Flow cytometry analysis showed a distinct necrotic effect on PBMC, irrespective of mitogen stimulation, whereas apoptotic activity was less evident. Necrosis was observed in both the lymphocyte and monocyte/granulocyte gates. Measurements of ZEA-induced intracellular calcium ion (Ca2+) mobilization showed an increase of both Ca2+ levels and the number of cells with high Ca2+ only in the monocyte/granulocyte gated cells. Using phenylmethyl sulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), a serine protease inhibitor, and ammonium chloride (NH4Cl), a lysosomal inhibitor, both associated with cell necrosis inhibition, we showed that PMSF at 0.05 mM and NH4Cl at 1 and 10 mM reduced the cytopathic effects induced by 30 mu g/ml ZEA, whereas apoptosis was less affected. Expose of PBMC to 1 mu g/ml ZEA did not alter the viability of the cells. Our results suggest that high ZEA concentrations in the blood may well exert cytotoxic effects that merit further investigation. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

HIV-1 gp120/V3-derived epitopes promote activation-induced cell death to superantigen-stimulated CD4(+)/CD45RO(+) T cells

The third hypervirable (V3) domain of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 has been implicated in HIV pathogenesis via co-receptor usage of chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR4. As the protagonist cell populations in the asymptomatic phase of HIV-1 infection are infected macrophages and effector/memory (CD45RO(+)) CD4(+) T cells that express CCR5, we established an in vitro model using human primary monocyte-derived macrophages and lymphocytes to investigate the role of V3 in affecting antigen presentation. We used staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) as a superantigen at a low concentration of 1 ng/ml, to activate naive CD4(+) T cells. Exposure of cells to SEA and lipoV3-liposomes increased the percentage of CD4(+)/CD45RO(+)/CCR5(+) T cell population as compared to cells treated with SEA and plain liposomes. A consequent decrease of the percentage of CD4(+)/CD45RO(+)/CXCR4(+) subset was observed. The V3-mediated activation was competitively inhibited by soluble V3-derived peptides with higher cationic charge. V3 enhanced also apoptosis as demonstrated by flow cytometry and intracellular calcium ion assays. These results reinforce the postulation that V3 alters the antigen presentation function itself, independent of specific antigens, thus leading to an enhanced activation-induced cell death (AICD) of responding T cells. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The HIV-1 gp120/V3 modifies the response of uninfected CD4 T cells to antigen presentation: mapping of the specific transcriptional signature

Background: The asymptomatic phase of HIV-1 infection is characterized by a progressive depletion of uninfected peripheral effector/memory CD4+ T cells that subsequently leads to immune dysfunction and AIDS symptoms. We have previously demonstrated that the presence of specific gp120/V3 peptides during antigen presentation can modify the activation of normal T-cells leading to altered immune function. The aim of the present study was to map the specific transcriptional profile invoked by an HIV-1/V3 epitope in uninfected T cells during antigen presentation. Methods: We exposed primary human peripheral blood monocytes to V3 lipopeptides using a liposome delivery system followed by a superantigen-mediated antigen presentation system. We then evaluated the changes in the T-cell transcriptional profile using oligonucleotide microarrays and performed Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and DAVID analysis. The results were validated using realtime PCR, FACS, Western blotting and immunofluorescence. Results: Our results revealed that the most highly modulated transcripts could almost entirely be categorized as related to the cell cycle or transcriptional regulation. The most statistically significant enriched categories and networks identified by IPA were associated with cell cycle, gene expression, immune response, infection mechanisms, cellular growth, proliferation and antigen presentation. Canonical pathways involved in energy and cell cycle regulation, and in the co-activation of T cells were also enriched. Conclusions: Taken together, these results document a distinct transcriptional profile invoked by the HIV-1/V3 epitope. These data could be invaluable to determine the underlying mechanism by which HIV-1 epitopes interfere with uninfected CD4+ T-cell function causing hyper proliferation and AICD