HIV Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about HIV, including details on human immunodeficiency virus, testing, treatment, prevention, vaccines, aids.

Invasive chronic inflammatory monocyte phenotype in subjects with high HIV-1 viral load.

Pulliam L, Sun B, Rempel H

Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. lynnp@itsa.ucsf.edu

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected monocytes trafficking into the central nervous system are a risk factor for HIV-1-associated dementia. We performed global gene expression analysis on CD14+ monocytes isolated from HIV-1-infected individuals and controls to identify HIV-1-related changes in monocyte phenotype. Monocytes from subjects with high viral load (HVL) had a significant increase in monocytes expressing CD16, CCR5, and MCP-1. There was also an increase in sialoadhesin, a macrophage marker of chronic inflammation. Expression of proinflammatory cytokine genes IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-alpha was unchanged in individuals with HIV-1 compared to control CD14+ monocytes. Differential gene expression identified by DNA microarray analysis was confirmed with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), while increased protein expression was characterized by immunofluorescence. We concluded that there is a circulating CD14+ macrophage hybrid phenotype in subjects with HVL.

Published 6 December 2004 in J Neuroimmunol, 157(1): 93-8.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 HIV Research Today. All Rights Reserved.