title: Th17 and Th17/Treg ratio at early HIV infection associate with protective HIV-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses and disease progression.
abstract: The aim of this study was to analyze Th17 and Treg subsets and their correlation with anti-HIV T-cell responses and clinical parameters during (acute/early) primary HIV infection (PHI) and up to one year post-infection (p.i). Samples from 14 healthy donors (HDs), 40 PHI patients, 17 Chronics, and 13 Elite controllers (ECs) were studied. The percentages of Th17 and Treg subsets were severely altered in Chronics, whereas all HIV-infected individuals (including ECs) showed Th17/Treg imbalance compared to HDs, in concordance with higher frequencies of activated CD8(+) T-cells (HLA-DR(+)/CD38(+)). Better clinical status (higher CD4 counts, lower viral loads and activation) was associated with higher Th17 and lower Treg levels. We found positive correlations between Th17 at baseline and anti-HIV CD8(+) T-cell functionality: viral inhibitory activity (VIA) and key polyfunctions (IFN-γ(+)/CD107A/B(+)) at both early and later times p.i, highlighting the prognostic value of Th17 cells to preserve an effective HIV T-cell immunity. Th17/Treg ratio and the IL-17 relative mean fluorescence intensity (rMFI of IL-17) were also positively correlated with VIA. Taken together, our results suggested a potential link between Th17 and Th17/Treg ratio with key HIV-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses against the infection.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Falivene
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Yanina
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ghiglione
authors.affiliation: 1] Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina [2] Hospital J.A. Fernández, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Laufer
authors.affiliation: Fundación Huésped, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Eugenia
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Socías
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Pía
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Holgado
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Julia
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maeto
authors.affiliation: Fundación Huésped, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Inés
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Figueroa
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology and Immunology, Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Luis D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Giavedoni
authors.affiliation: 1] Fundación Huésped, Buenos Aires, Argentina [2] Hospital J.A. Fernández, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cahn
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Horacio
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Salomón
authors.affiliation: Fundación Huésped, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sued
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Turk
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA (INBIRS), Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Magdalena
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gherardi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D019562:Viral Load