Increased Levels of Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins Result in Resistance to R5-Tropic HIV-1 in a Subset of Elite Controllers.
Elite controllers (ECs) are a rare group of HIV seropositive individuals who are able to control viral replication without antiretroviral therapy. The mechanisms responsible for this phenotype, however, have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we examined CD4(+) T cell resistance to HIV in a cohort of elite controllers and explored transcriptional signatures associated with cellular resistance. We demonstrate that a subgroup of elite controllers possess CD4(+) T cells that are specifically resistant to R5-tropic HIV while remaining fully susceptible to X4-tropic and vesicular stomatitis virus G (VSV-G)-pseudotyped viruses. Transcriptome analysis revealed 17 genes that were differentially regulated in resistant elite controllers relative to healthy controls. Notably, the genes encoding macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α), CCL3 and CCL3L1, were found to be upregulated. The MIP-1α, MIP-1β, and RANTES chemokines are natural ligands of CCR5 and are known to interfere with HIV replication. For three elite controllers, we observed increased production of MIP-1α and/or MIP-1β at the protein level. The supernatant from resistant EC cells contained MIP-1α and MIP-1β and was sufficient to confer R5-tropic resistance to susceptible CD4(+) T cells. Additionally, this effect was reversed by using inhibitory anti-MIP antibodies. These results suggest that the T cells of these particular elite controllers may be naturally resistant to HIV infection by blocking R5-tropic viral entry.


OBJECTIVE
HIV is a pandemic health problem, and the majority of seropositive individuals will eventually progress to AIDS unless antiretroviral therapy (ART) is administered. However, rare patients, termed elite controllers, have a natural ability to control HIV infection in the absence of ART, but the mechanisms by which they achieve this phenotype have not been fully explored. This paper identifies one mechanism that may contribute to this natural resistance: some elite controllers have CD4(+) T cells that produce high levels of MIP chemokines, which block R5-tropic HIV entry. This mechanism could potentially be exploited to achieve a therapeutic effect in other HIV-seropositive individuals.
Center of Excellence in Infectious Diseases, Department of Biomedical Sciences, TTUHSC El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Wendy E
WE
Walker
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Sebastian
S
Kurscheid
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Samit
S
Joshi
Center of Excellence in Infectious Diseases, Department of Biomedical Sciences, TTUHSC El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA.
Charlie A
CA
Lopez
Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Gerald
G
Goh
Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Murim
M
Choi
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Lydia
L
Barakat
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
John
J
Francis
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Ann
A
Fisher
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Michael
M
Kozal
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Heidi
H
Zapata
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Albert
A
Shaw
Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Richard
R
Lifton
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA richard.sutton@yale.edu.
Richard E
RE
Sutton
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Erol
E
Fikrig
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D054405:Chemokine CCL3 / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D054407:Chemokine CCL4 / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D019742:Chemokines, CC / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D018628:Gene Dosage; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D020276:HIV Long-Term Survivors; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D019713:Receptors, CCR5 / Q000097:blood; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4 / Q000097:blood; D015854:Up-Regulation
C515429:CCL3 protein, human; C492767:CCL3L1 protein, human; C066507:CCL4 protein, human; C483024:CCL5 protein, human; C584933:CCR5 protein, human; C527276:CXCR4 protein, human; D054405:Chemokine CCL3; D054407:Chemokine CCL4; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D019742:Chemokines, CC; D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019713:Receptors, CCR5; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4