title: Imbalances of gut-homing CD4+ T-cell subsets in HIV-1-infected Chinese patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Full reconstitution of CD4 T cells in both peripheral blood and mucosal tissues is a desirable goal of treating AIDS patients. To date, few studies have investigated the potential role of gut-homing CD4 T-cell subsets as biomarkers in assisting Asian populations infected with HIV-1.
  
  
  METHODS
  A large cross-sectional study was conducted among Chinese patients with focus on the frequency, absolute number, and ratio of gut-homing Th1, Th17, and Treg subsets in 3 groups of age- and gender-matched study subjects: healthy donors, untreated AIDS patients, and antiretroviral therapy (ART)-treated patients with sustained undetectable viral load.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HIV-1 chronic infection resulted in positively correlated loss of total and gut-homing CD4 T cells (P < 0.001) among patients compared with healthy controls. Profiles of T-cell subsets, however, were different between total and gut-homing CD4 T cells in terms of frequency and absolute number. ART partially restored the frequencies of gut-homing Th1, Th17, and Treg cells but the lost number of gut-homing Th17 cells was found not easily reversible. These changes together with an increased frequency of gut-homing CD4 Treg cells led to dual imbalances of gut-homing Th1/Treg and Th17/Treg ratios, which were negatively correlated with viral load (P = 0.014 and P < 0.001) and hardly restored even by prolonged ART.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings provide new insights into the investigation of gut-homing Th1/Treg and Th17/Treg imbalances in AIDS patients, which may have potential implications on the reconstitution of mucosal CD4 T cells.
authors.affiliation: HKU-AIDS Institute Shenzhen Research Laboratory and AIDS Clinical Research Laboratory, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Shenzhen Key Clinical Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Qiaoli
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Haibo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiaofan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Boping
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Zhiwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000328:Adult; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D016201:Receptors, Lymphocyte Homing / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D016201:Receptors, Lymphocyte Homing