title: Significant Depletion of CD4(+) T Cells Occurs in the Oral Mucosa during Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection with the Infected CD4(+) T Cell Reservoir Continuing to Persist in the Oral Mucosa during Antiretroviral Therapy.
abstract: Human and simian immunodeficiency virus (HIV and SIV) infections are characterized by manifestation of numerous opportunistic infections and inflammatory conditions in the oral mucosa. The loss of CD4(+) T cells that play a critical role in maintaining mucosal immunity likely contributes to this process. Here we show that CD4(+) T cells constitute a minor population of T cells in the oral mucosa and display a predominantly central memory phenotype mirroring other mucosal sites such as the rectal mucosa. Chronic SIV infection was associated with a near total depletion of CD4(+) T cells in the oral mucosa that appear to repopulate during antiretroviral therapy (ART). Repopulating CD4(+) T cells harbored a large fraction of Th17 cells suggesting that ART potentially reconstitutes oral mucosal immunity. However, a minor fraction of repopulating CD4(+) T cells harbored SIV DNA suggesting that the viral reservoir continues to persist in the oral mucosa during ART. Therapeutic approaches aimed at obtaining sustainable CD4(+) T cell repopulation in combination with strategies that can eradicate the latent viral reservoir in the oral mucosa are essential for better oral health and long-term outcome in HIV infected patients.
authors.affiliation: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: George
authors.affiliation: Bioqual Inc., Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
authors.forename: Wendeline
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Bioqual Inc., Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
authors.forename: Mark G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7412-9507
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Mattapallil
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active / Q000379:methods; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal / Q000276:immunology; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral