Expression of Chemokine Receptors on CD4 + T Cells in Peripheral Blood from HIV-Infected Individuals in Uganda

Abstract

CXCR4, a coreceptor for T cell (T)-tropic HIV-1, is preferentially expressed on naive T cells, whereas CCR5, a coreceptor for macrophage (M)-tropic HIV-1, is preferentially expressed on previously activated memory T cells and the Th1 subset of CD4⁺ T cells. CCR4 is preferentially expressed on the Th2 subset of CD4⁺ T cells. A cross-sectional flow cytometry study was conducted to evaluate the expression of CXCR4, CCR5, and CCR4 on the peripheral blood CD4⁺ T cells from African HIV-1-infected and uninfected Ugandan adults. The plasma viral load in HIV-1-infected individuals was also examined. Upregulation of CCR4 and CCR5 expression but no decrease in CXCR4 expression on CD4⁺ T cells were obtained in peripheral blood from African adults with progression of the disease. Plasma HIV-1 viremia significantly and inversely correlated with the peripheral CD4⁺ T cell count but did not correlate with the degree of CCR4 and CCR5 expression on the peripheral CD4⁺ T cells in HIV-1-infected individuals. Our present data suggest an increase in percentage of activated memory CD4⁺ T cells in the advanced stage of HIV-1 infection among African adults. There was no evidence of a Th1 to Th2 shift in terms of chemokine receptor expression profile with advancing disease in the peripheral blood of these subjects.