A new step has been made in understanding how HIV control mechanisms allow some individuals to manage the infection without any treatment. The CEA-Jacob provides some explanations.
HIV controllers are a rare group of individuals identified as being able to control their infection without any treatment. Previous studies have highlighted the central role of CD8+ T lymphocytes (LTCD8+) in this phenomenon, due to their ability to recognize and rapidly eliminate HIV-infected cells. Moreover, it has been observed that controller individuals possess LTCD8+ cells with a molecular program distinct from that of non-controllers during the chronic phase of infection.
To determine what happens during the acute phase of the infection, a team at the Institut Pasteur and their colleagues at the CEA-Jacob, the Universities of Paris and Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, the Cardiff Medical School and the AP-HP used a specific macaque model infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), in which some subjects became natural controllers while others progressed to AIDS.
The ability to control or not control SIV appears to be determined in the first two weeks after infection. While the LTCD8+ cells of non-controllers seem to generate an immediate response, they are depleted by the continuous presence of SIV. In contrast, controller animals develop memory CD8+ T cells capable of regenerating new cells in response to repeated stimulation by SIV. The researchers hypothesize that this difference could be due to a relative protection provided by the lymph nodes, which have fewer infected cells in the first days of infection in controllers.
| François Jacob Institute of biology - CEA |
Pasteur Institute
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Paris-Descartes University
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Paris-Diderot University
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Cardiff University School of Medicine
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Paul Sabatier University
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Toulouse University Hospital Center
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AP-HP hospitals
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