title: Transcriptional profiling of CD4 T cells identifies distinct subgroups of HIV-1 elite controllers.
abstract: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) elite controllers maintain undetectable levels of viral replication in the absence of antiretroviral therapy (ART), but their underlying immunological and virological characteristics may vary. Here, we used a whole-genome transcriptional profiling approach to characterize gene expression signatures of CD4 T cells from an unselected cohort of elite controllers. The transcriptional profiles for the majority of elite controllers were similar to those of ART-treated patients but different from those of HIV-1-negative persons. Yet, a smaller proportion of elite controllers showed an alternative gene expression pattern that was indistinguishable from that of HIV-1-negative persons but different from that of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-treated individuals. Elite controllers with the latter gene expression signature had significantly higher CD4 T cell counts and lower levels of HIV-1-specific CD8(+) T cell responses but did not significantly differ from other elite controllers in terms of HLA class I alleles, HIV-1 viral loads determined by ultrasensitive single-copy PCR assays, or chemokine receptor polymorphisms. Thus, these data identify a specific subgroup of elite controllers whose immunological and gene expression characteristics approximate those of HIV-1-negative persons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vigneault
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.forename: Maria J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Buzon
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Florencia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pereyra
authors.forename: Seth D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Crosby
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rychert
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Church
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martinez-Picado
authors.forename: Eric S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.forename: Amalio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Telenti
authors.forename: Xu G
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lichterfeld
mesh_terms: D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D020276:HIV Long-Term Survivors; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D019562:Viral Load