Regulatory T cells and chronic immune activation in human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV‐1)‐infected children

• Published in: Clinical and experimental immunology 2011-06, Vol.164 (3), p.373-380
• Main Authors: Freguja, R., Gianesin, K., Mosconi, I., Zanchetta, M., Carmona, F., Rampon, O., Giaquinto, C., De Rossi, A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry; Antigens, CD - biosynthesis; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Separation; Cells, Cultured; Child; DNA, Viral - analysis; Female; Flow Cytometry; Forkhead Transcription Factors - biosynthesis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; HIV Infections - diagnosis; HIV Infections - immunology; HIV-1 - pathogenicity; HIV-1 - physiology; HIV‐1‐infected children; Human immunodeficiency virus 1; Human viral diseases; Humans; immune activation; Immunodeficiencies; Immunodeficiencies. Immunoglobulinopathies; Immunopathology; Immunophenotyping; Infectious diseases; Lymphocyte Activation; Male; Medical sciences; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - metabolism; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - pathology; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - immunology; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - metabolism; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - pathology; Translational Studies; Tregs; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Viral Load
• ISSN: 0009-9104; 1365-2249
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2011.04383.x

Summary The function of CD4+ T cells with regulatory activity (Tregs) is the down‐regulation of immune responses. This suppressive activity may limit the magnitude of effector responses, resulting in failure to control human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV‐1) infection, but may also suppress chronic immune activation, a characteristic feature of HIV‐1 disease. We evaluated the correlation between viral load, immune activation and Tregs in HIV‐1‐infected children. Eighty‐nine HIV‐1‐infected children (aged 6–14 years) were included in the study and analysed for HIV‐1 plasmaviraemia, HIV‐1 DNA load, CD4 and CD8 cell subsets. Treg cells [CD4+ CD25highCD127lowforkhead box P3 (FoxP3high)] and CD8‐activated T cells (CD8+CD38+) were determined by flow cytometry. Results showed that the number of activated CD8+CD38+ T cells increased in relation to HIV‐1 RNA plasmaviraemia (r = 0·403, P