HIV-1 infection of monocytes is directly related to the success of HAART.
Macrophages are recognized cellular compartments involved in HIV infection; however, the extent to which precursor monocytes are infected in vivo and its significance remains poorly understood. Our aim was to analyze the contribution of monocytes to HIV infection in vivo. PCR assays did not detect HIV-1 proviral DNA in monocytes of HAART-suppressed patients. Monocyte-derived macrophages from individuals under suppressive HAART did not show evidence of harboring HIV, thereby, minimizing the possibility of infection by the integration of sequestered virus after differentiation. These results suggest that the infection of permissive monocytes is directly related to the success of HAART (p<0.001). HIV-1 env was characterized from patients under sub-optimal HAART and hence, with infected monocytes. Sequence analyses showed a consistent relationship between monocytes and plasma virus. Altogether, we found that in suppressive HAART, neither monocytes nor Monocyte-derived macrophages-harbored HIV.
Almodóvar
Sharilyn
S
Ponce School of Medicine, AIDS Research Program, Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, P.O. Box 7004, Ponce, 00732-7004, Puerto Rico.
Del C Colón
María
M
Maldonado
Irvin M
IM
Villafañe
Robert
R
Abreu
Silkha
S
Meléndez
Iván
I
Domínguez
Carlos
C
Cuevas
Wilfredo
W
Collins
Timothy M
TM
Lorenzo
Eric
E
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009000:Monocytes / Q000821:virology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D010949:Plasma / Q000821:virology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011533:Proviruses / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D054299:env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D054299:env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus