The title of the post is a copy and paste from the subtitle and first paragraph of the linked academic press release here:
Cells from the rare individuals who naturally control HIV infection have been the focus of investigation for nearly 15 years with the aim of elucidating their specific features. Following research on the ANRS CO21 CODEX and CO6 PRIMO cohorts, scientists from the Institut Pasteur have described the characteristics of CD8 immune cells in these “HIV controller” subjects. The unique antiviral power of these immune cells can be attributed to an optimal metabolic program that confers persistence and the ability to react effectively against infected cells. Working ex vivo, the scientists successfully reprogrammed cells from infected non-controller individuals to give them the same antiviral potency as controllers’ cells.
Some people have the ability to control HIV naturally, without treatment. In these very rare individuals (less than 1% of people living with HIV), no multiplication of the virus in the blood can be detected after more than 10 years of infection without treatment.
Journal Reference:
Metabolic plasticity of HIV-specific CD8+ T cells is associated with enhanced antiviral potential and natural control of HIV-1 infection
Mathieu Angin, Stevenn Volant, Caroline Passaes, Camille Lecuroux, Valérie Monceaux, Marie-Agnès Dillies, José Carlos Valle-Casuso, Gianfranco Pancino, Bruno Vaslin, Roger Le Grand, Laurence Weiss, Cecile Goujard, Laurence Meyer, Faroudy Boufassa, Michaela Müller-Trutwin, Olivier Lambotte & Asier Sáez-Cirión
Nature Metabolism, volume 1, pages704–716 (2019)
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-019-0081-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-019-0081-4
Abstract
Spontaneous control of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is generally associated with an enhanced capacity of CD8+ T cells to eliminate infected CD4+ T cells, but the molecular characteristics of these highly functional CD8+ T cells are largely unknown. In the present study, using single-cell analysis, it was shown that HIV-specific, central memory CD8+ T cells from spontaneous HIV controllers (HICs) and antiretrovirally treated non-controllers have opposing transcriptomic profiles. Genes linked to effector functions and survival are upregulated in cells from HICs. In contrast, genes associated with activation, exhaustion and glycolysis are upregulated in cells from non-controllers. It was shown that HIV-specific CD8+ T cells from non-controllers are largely glucose dependent, whereas those from HICs have more diverse metabolic resources that enhance both their survival potential and their capacity to develop anti-HIV effector functions. The functional efficiency of the HIV-specific CD8+ T cell response in HICs is thus engraved in their memory population and related to their metabolic programme. Metabolic reprogramming in vitro through interleukin-15 treatment abrogated the glucose dependency and enhanced the antiviral potency of HIV-specific CD8+ T cells from non-controllers.