Profound phenotypic and epigenetic heterogeneity of the HIV-1-infected CD4+ T cell reservoir

VH Wu, JML Nordin, S Nguyen, J Joy, F Mampe… - Nature …, 2023 - nature.com
VH Wu, JML Nordin, S Nguyen, J Joy, F Mampe, PM del Rio Estrada, F Torres-Ruiz
Nature Immunology, 2023nature.com
Understanding the complexity of the long-lived HIV reservoir during antiretroviral therapy
(ART) remains a considerable impediment in research towards a cure for HIV. To address
this, we developed a single-cell strategy to precisely define the unperturbed peripheral
blood HIV-infected memory CD4+ T cell reservoir from ART-treated people living with HIV
(ART-PLWH) via the presence of integrated accessible proviral DNA in concert with
epigenetic and cell surface protein profiling. We identified profound reservoir heterogeneity …
Abstract
Understanding the complexity of the long-lived HIV reservoir during antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains a considerable impediment in research towards a cure for HIV. To address this, we developed a single-cell strategy to precisely define the unperturbed peripheral blood HIV-infected memory CD4+ T cell reservoir from ART-treated people living with HIV (ART-PLWH) via the presence of integrated accessible proviral DNA in concert with epigenetic and cell surface protein profiling. We identified profound reservoir heterogeneity within and between ART-PLWH, characterized by new and known surface markers within total and individual memory CD4+ T cell subsets. We further uncovered new epigenetic profiles and transcription factor motifs enriched in HIV-infected cells that suggest infected cells with accessible provirus, irrespective of reservoir distribution, are poised for reactivation during ART treatment. Together, our findings reveal the extensive inter- and intrapersonal cellular heterogeneity of the HIV reservoir, and establish an initial multiomic atlas to develop targeted reservoir elimination strategies.
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