The Characteristics of Th1/Th2 Cytokine Receptors on Monocytes in Untreated Patients of Long Term Nonprogressor or Chronic HIV Infection

C.      Sun; Y.      Jiang; L.      Sun; H.      Shang; Y.      Zhao

Abstract

Monocytes/macrophages play crucial roles in immunity to microorganisms and are one of the important targets for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The phenotypes and function of monocytes in HIV-infected patients were poorly determined. We herein detected the expression of Th1/Th2 cytokine receptors on monocyte subsets in the untreated HIV-infected patients of either long term nonprogressor (LTNP) or chronic infection (CHI). CD14+CD16- monocytes were significantly increased and CD14+CD16+ monocytes were reduced in patients of LTNP or CHI compared with healthy control. IL-6R expression on CD14+CD16- monocytes were decreased in patients of LTNP or CHI, whereas IL-4R and IL-10R expression on both CD14+CD16- and CD14+CD16+ monocyte subsets were increased in patients with LTNP or CHI, as determined by flow cytometry and real time PCR assays. The decreased IL-6R expression and enhanced IL-4R and IL-10R expression were also observed on CD4+ T cells of these patients, indicating that these changes in monocytes are not cell-specific. CD14+CD16- monocytes of HIV-infected patients produced less TNF-α and IL-1β but identical levels of IL-6, and IL-12 as the control after IFN-γ/LPS stimulation. However, in the presence of IL-4 or IL10, CD14+CD16- monocytes of HIV-infected patients produced more TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12 or Il-1β after IFN-γ/LPS stimulation than the healthy control, supporting the impaired IL-4R and IL-10R signal pathways in patients with LTNP and CHI. Therefore, our present study offered the basic information for the Th1/Th2 cytokine receptor expression and function on monocyte subsets in untreated HIV-infected individuals.

Keywords: Chronic HIV infection, cytokine, humans, long term nonprogressor, monocyte/macrophage, receptors, host defense, microenvironments, phenotype, proliferation, differentiation, human immunodeficiency virus, cellular immunity, infection, transcription.