Greater Expansion of IFN-γ^﹣ CD4⁺ NKT Cells in HIV-1 Compared with HIV-2-Infected Subjects with Preserved CD4⁺ T Cell Counts

Samuel V. Nuvor, Hilton Whittle, Sarah Rowland-Jones, Assan Jaye

MRC Laboratories, Fajara, Banjul, The Gambia.
MRC Laboratories, Fajara, Banjul, The Gambia; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
MRC Laboratories, Fajara, Banjul, The Gambia; MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
MRC Laboratories, Fajara, Banjul, The Gambia; School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.

DOI: 10.4236/wja.2012.22014                

Abstract

Context: Human Natural Killer T cells are T lymphocytes that express an invariant αβ T cells receptors and NK cells receptors. They regulate innate and adaptive immune response but are susceptible to HIV-1 infection. Objective: We compare the frequency and the activity of NKT cells in HIV-1 and HIV-2 infected individuals with CD4⁺ counts greater than 500/mm³ using flow cytometry after overnight stimulation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Results: The frequency of NKT cells was similar between both groups and also to sero-negative control subjects. There were also no significant differences in the proportions of total NKT cells and the CD4⁺ NKT subset that secreted interferon gamma (IFN-γ) after polyclonal stimulation. However, there was a significantly higher frequency of IFN-γ^﹣ CD4⁺ NKT cells in HIV-1-infected compared with HIV-2 infected subjects (p = 0.043). Conclusion: These data suggest there is no relationship between the functional activity of NKT cell subsets and the total NKT cell population in HIV infection. The expansion of IFN-γ^﹣ CD4⁺ NKT cells in HIV-1 infection may serve as target for viral infection and may eventually result in their depletion during chronic infection.

Keywords

NKT Cells; HIV-1; HIV-2; IFN-g; CD4 T Cells

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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