SARS CoV-2 mRNA vaccination exposes latent HIV to Nef-specific CD8+ T-cells
Eva M. Stevenson, Sandra Terry, Dennis C. Copertino, Louise Leyre, Ali Danesh, Jared Weiler, Adam R. Ward, Pragya Khadka, Evan McNeil, Kevin Bernard, Itzayana G. Miller, Grant Ellsworth, Carrie D. Johnston, Eli J. Finkelsztein, Paul Zumbo, Doron Betel, Friederike Dündar, Maggie C. Duncan, Hope R. Lapointe, Sarah Speckmaier, Nadia Moran-Garcia, Michelle Premazzi Papa, Samuel Nicholes, Carissa J. Stover, Rebecca M. Lynch, Marina Caskey, Christian Gaebler, Tae‐Wook Chun, Alberto Bosque, Timothy Wilkin, Guinevere Q. Lee, Zabrina L. Brumme, R. Brad Jones
Abstract
Abstract Efforts to cure HIV have focused on reactivating latent proviruses to enable elimination by CD8 + cytotoxic T-cells. Clinical studies of latency reversing agents (LRA) in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-treated individuals have shown increases in HIV transcription, but without reductions in virologic measures, or evidence that HIV-specific CD8 + T-cells were productively engaged. Here, we show that the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 activates the RIG-I/TLR – TNF – NFκb axis, resulting in transcription of HIV proviruses with minimal perturbations of T-cell activation and host transcription. T-cells specific for the early gene-product HIV-Nef uniquely increased in frequency and acquired effector function (granzyme-B) in ART-treated individuals following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination. These parameters of CD8 + T-cell induction correlated with significant decreases in cell-associated HIV mRNA, suggesting killing or suppression of cells transcribing HIV. Thus, we report the observation of an intervention-induced reduction in a measure of HIV persistence, accompanied by precise immune correlates, in ART-suppressed individuals. However, we did not observe significant depletions of intact proviruses, underscoring challenges to achieving (or measuring) HIV reservoir reductions. Overall, our results support prioritizing the measurement of granzyme-B-producing Nef-specific responses in latency reversal studies and add impetus to developing HIV-targeted mRNA therapeutic vaccines that leverage built-in LRA activity.