B-cell depletion reveals a role for antibodies in the control of chronic HIV-1 infection

Huang, K.-H.G. et al. (2010) B-cell depletion reveals a role for antibodies in the control of chronic HIV-1 infection. Nature Communications, 1, 102. (doi: 10.1038/ncomms1100) (PMID:20981030) (PMCID:PMC2963804)

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Abstract

HIV can be partially contained by host immunity and understanding the basis of this may inform vaccine design. The importance of B-cell function in long-term control is poorly understood. One method of investigating this is in vivo cellular depletion. In this study, we take advantage of a unique opportunity to investigate the role of B cells in an HIV-infected patient. The HIV-1(+) patient studied here was not taking antiretroviral drugs and was treated for pre-existing low-grade lymphoplasmacytoid lymphoma by depletion of CD20+ B cells using rituximab. We demonstrate that B-cell depletion results in a decline in autologous neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses and a 1.7 log(10) rise in HIV-1 plasma viral load (pVL). The recovery of NAbs results in a decline in pVL. The HIV-1 sequences diversify and NAb-resistant mutants are subsequently selected. These data suggest that B-cell function can contribute to the long-term control of pVL, and that NAbs may be more important in controlling chronic HIV-1 infection than previously suspected.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Thomson, Professor Emma
Authors: Huang, K.-H.G., Bonsall, D., Katzourakis, A., Thomson, E.C., Fidler, S.J., Main, J., Muir, D., Weber, J.N., Frater, A.J., Phillips, R.E., Pybus, O.G., Goulder, P.J.R., McClure, M.O., Cooke, G.S., and Klenerman, P.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Virus Research
Journal Name:Nature Communications
Publisher:Nature Publishing Group
ISSN:2041-1723
ISSN (Online):2041-1723

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