Short Communication: Low Immune Activation Is Associated with Higher Frequencies of Central Memory T Cell Subset in a Cohort of Indian Long-Term Nonprogressors

Abstract

Persistent immune activation in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is responsible for alterations in immune system such as activation, apoptosis, and reduced frequencies. Reduced immune activation is known to be associated with virus control. Limited information is available on the influence of pan-immune activation on memory responses. Hence, we compared the T cell activation and memory profile in HIV-infected individuals exhibiting disease control such as long-term nonprogressors (LTNPs) and progressors. The activated CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells were significantly lower and the CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ central memory T cell phenotypes were significantly higher in the LTNPs compared to the progressors. In addition, we observed significant inverse association between the T cell activation and frequencies of central memory T cells. Our findings indicate that patients with absence of disease progression have preserved central memory T cell population associated with lesser immune activation.