Dominant CD4+ T cell receptors remain stable throughout antiretroviral therapy-mediated immune restoration in people with HIV
Alexis Sponaugle, Ann Marie Weideman, Jolene S. Ranek, Gatphan Atassi, JoAnn Kuruc, Adaora A. Adimora, Nancie M. Archin, Cynthia L. Gay, Daniel R. Kuritzkes, David M. Margolis, Benjamin G. Vincent, Natalie Stanley, Michael G. Hudgens, Joseph J. Eron, Nilu Goonetilleke
Abstract
In people with HIV (PWH), the post-antiretroviral therapy (ART) window is critical for immune restoration and HIV reservoir stabilization. We employ deep immune profiling and T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing and examine proliferation to assess how ART impacts T cell homeostasis. In PWH on long-term ART, lymphocyte frequencies and phenotypes are mostly stable. By contrast, broad phenotypic changes in natural killer (NK) cells, γδ T cells, B cells, and CD4 + and CD8 + T cells are observed in the post-ART window. Whereas CD8 + T cells mostly restore, memory CD4 + T subsets and cytolytic NK cells show incomplete restoration 1.4 years post ART. Surprisingly, the hierarchies and frequencies of dominant CD4 TCR clonotypes (0.1%–11% of all CD4 + T cells) remain stable post ART, suggesting that clonal homeostasis can be independent of homeostatic processes regulating CD4 + T cell absolute number, phenotypes, and function. The slow restoration of host immunity post ART also has implications for the design of ART interruption studies.