title: Short communication: limited induction of IL-10 in PBMCs from HIV-infected subjects treated with HIV-VLPs.
abstract: We have recently shown that HIV-1 Pr55gag virus-like particles (HIV-VLPs), produced in a baculovirus expression system and presenting a gp120 molecule from a Ugandan HIV-1 isolate of clade A (HIV-VLP(A)s), induce maturation and activation of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from seronegative as well as seropositive, with either low or high viremia, HIV-1 subjects. A Th2 polarization has been observed in both HIV seropositive groups, which is efficiently boosted by HIV-VLP induction and does not switch into a Th1 pattern. Here we show that the production of the known immune-suppressive IL-10 is induced in both HIV-seropositive groups at a significantly lower level by HIV-VLPs compared to LPS. These levels, however, appear to still negatively interfere with the innate as well as adaptive Th1-polarized response observed in HIV-seropositive groups. These results indicate that vaccines and novel adjuvants (i.e., TLR agonists, such as LPS) must be evaluated not only for their immunogenicity but also for their potential immune-suppressive effects. In this perspective, fresh ex vivo PBMCs can be of high value for screening the responses as well as eventual failures of vaccinees enrolled in clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis and AIDS Reference Center, Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fond. G. Pascale, Naples, Italy .
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Buonaguro
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Tornesello
authors.forename: George K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Jewis
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Buonaguro
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D016753:Interleukin-10