Variations in serum IL-7 and 90K/Mac-2 binding protein (Mac-2 BP) levels analysed in cohorts of HIV-1 patients and correlated with clinical changes following antiretroviral therapy.
Serum levels of interleukin-7 (IL-7), a non-redundant cytokine that plays a crucial role in lymphopoiesis, are known to be elevated in HIV-1-infected subjects. To examine further the association between levels of IL-7, CD4+ cell counts and viraemia, we analysed these parameters in a large cohort of HIV-1 patients along with serum levels of 90K, a marker of disease severity but with no established involvement in lymphopoiesis. While IL-7 levels were only found to correlate with CD4+ cell counts, 90K levels presented strong correlations with both CD4+ cell numbers and with plasma viral loads (VLs). These correlations were maintained in patients naive to treatment with antiretrovirals (n = 38) but were abolished when the analysis was restricted to the group receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART, n = 82). Moreover, although 90K levels were significantly reduced in patients on HAART, IL-7 levels continued to be elevated despite successful treatment. The influence of HAART on the variations in these serum parameters was further assessed in a longitudinal study on 32 subjects. The HAART-induced decrease in VLs and increase in CD4+ counts were found to correlate with a reduced serum level of 90K and IL-7, respectively. Nevertheless, following a median period of 33 months of immunological and virological successful HAART, serum levels of IL-7 continued to be significantly elevated compared with those detected in healthy controls. These findings suggest that immunotherapy with IL-7, aimed to replenish T-cell stock in HAART-treated subjects, may have a limited impact on the process of immune reconstitution.
Darcissac
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Laboratoire d'Immunologie Moléculaire de l'Infection et de l'Inflammation, Institut Pasteur de Lille, ISTAC Biotechnology, Lille, France.
Vidal
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De La Tribonniere
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X
Mouton
Y
Y
Bahr
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GM
D000328:Adult; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000097:blood*; D014766:Viremia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D015851:Interleukin-7; C081856:LGALS3BP protein, human; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins