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Alteration of inhibitory and activating natural killer cell receptor expression on T cells in human immunodeficiency virus‐infected Chinese
Author(s) -
Jiang Yongjun,
Wu Shanshan,
Zhou Fangyuan,
Bice Tristan,
Zhang Zining,
Liu Jing,
Ding Haibo,
Han Xiaoxu,
Shang Hong
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.2011.00372.x
Subject(s) - biology , virology , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , virus , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , receptor , natural killer cell , cytotoxic t cell , in vitro , genetics , neuroscience
T cell expression of NKRs can trigger or inhibit cell‐mediated cytotoxicity. However, few studies on T lymphocyte NKR expression in HIV infection exist. Here, we examined the expression patterns of NKG2D, NKG2A, and KIR3DL1 on CD8 + and CD3 + CD8 − cells by multicolor flow cytometry in groups of patients with HIV, AIDS or HAART‐treated AIDS, as well as HIV‐negative normal controls. Individual analysis of KIR3DL1 on CD3 + CD8 + or CD3 + CD8 − cells revealed no significant differences among any of the groups ( P > 0.05). In contrast, the percentage of NKG2A + NKG2D − CD8 + T cells was higher in the AIDS group than in the HIV‐negative normal control group ( P < 0.01). Meanwhile, the prevalence of NKG2D + NKG2A − CD8 + T cells was lower in the AIDS group than in HIV‐negative normal controls ( P < 0.001). Similar results were also observed for the percentage of NKG2A + NKG2D − on CD3 + CD8 − cells. However, in contrast to CD8 + T cells, the frequencies of NKG2D + NKG2A − on CD3 + CD8 − cells were higher in AIDS and HIV patients than in HIV‐negative normal controls ( P < 0.01, P < 0.05, respectively). The percentage of NKG2A + NKG2D − CD8 + T cells was negatively correlated with CD4 + T cell counts ( r =−0.499, P < 0.01), while the percentage of NKG2D + NKG2A − CD8 + T cells was positively correlated with CD4 + T cell counts ( r = 0.494, P < 0.01). The percentage of NKG2D + NKG2A − CD3 + CD8 − T cells was also positively correlated with viral load ( r = 0.527, P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with CD4 + T cell counts ( r =−0.397, P < 0.05). Finally, HAART treatment reversed the changes in NKR expression caused by HIV infection. These results indicate that the expression of NKRs on T cells may be correlated with HIV disease progression.