Title:Immune Activation and CD127 Expression on T Lymphocyte Subsets of a Chinese Cohort of Pediatric AIDS Patients with Different Viral Responses
Volume: 10
Issue: 7
Author(s): Changzhong Jin, Fujie Zhang, Lijuan Wu, Tiansheng Xie, Yuewu Cheng, Zhirong Tang and Nanping Wu
Affiliation:
Keywords:
AIDS, CD127, HAART, immune activation, pediatric, T-cell subsets
Abstract: Immune activation and IL-7/IL7 receptor (CD127) systems are significant for CD4+ T cell defect in AIDS
patients. However, the association between immune activation and CD127 expression on T lymphocyte subsets in Chinese
pediatric AIDS patients is not well studied. Here, we recruited a cohort of 194 Chinese pediatric AIDS patients: 135 good
viral responders (GVRs) and 59 poor viral responders (PVRs). CD38high and HLA-DR+CD8+ T lymphocytes and CD127
expression on T-cell subsets were determined by flow cytometry. Viral load was detected using a quantitative RT-PCR
assay. The results showed that pediatric AIDS patients had a lower memory CD4+ percentage and a higher memory CD8+
T-cell percentage. The percentage of naive CD4+T-cells was higher, especially in GVRs. The percentage of CD38high and
HLA-DR+CD8+ in PVRs was higher than in GVRs and controls, being positively correlated with viral load and memory
CD8+, but negatively correlated with memory CD4+ T cells. The percentage of CD127+ memory CD4+ T cells in GVRs
was higher than in PVRs, but lower than in controls. CD127 expression was positively correlated with percentage of
CD4+ subsets and naive CD8+ T cells, but negatively correlated with percentage of memory CD8+ T cells. Our study
demonstrates that the percentages of CD38high and HLA-DR+ CD8+ T cells are good markers to evaluate immune
activation of pediatric AIDS patients, and elevated immune activation has a more profound effect on memory T cells. IL-
7/CD127 system is more important to maintain the proportion of naive T cells.
