CD4 T-cell deficiency in HIV patients responding to antiretroviral therapy is associated with increased expression of interferon-stimulated genes in CD4 T cells

Abstract

Most patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who remain CD4 + T-cell deficient on antiretroviral therapy (ART) exhibit marked immune activation. As CD4 + T-cell activation may be mediated by microbial translocation or interferon-alpha (IFN-α), we examined these factors in HIV patients with good or poor CD4 + T-cell recovery on long-term ART. Messenger RNA levels for 3 interferon-stimulated genes were increased in CD4 + T cells of patients with poor CD4 + T-cell recovery, whereas levels in patients with good recovery did not differ from those in healthy controls. Poor CD4 + T-cell recovery was also associated with CD4 + T-cell expression of markers of activation, senescence, and apop..