Short-term Treatment With Interferon Alfa Diminishes Expression of HIV-1 and Reduces CD4+ T-Cell Activation in Patients Coinfected With HIV and Hepatitis C Virus …

S Morón-López, E Gómez-Mora… - The Journal of …, 2016 - academic.oup.com
S Morón-López, E Gómez-Mora, M Salgado, D Ouchi, MC Puertas, V Urrea, J Navarro…
The Journal of infectious diseases, 2016academic.oup.com
Long-term treatment with interferon (IFN) alfa plus ribavirin decreases the proviral human
immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) DNA level. However, the short-term impact of IFN alfa
on persistent HIV and its effects on immune activation after antiretroviral therapy remain
unknown. Our study showed that the cell-associated HIV RNA level and CD4+ T-cell
activation decreased in the IFN group (n= 10). No changes were detected in levels of
residual plasma viremia, replication-competent reservoirs, proviral DNA, or 2–long-terminal …
Abstract
Long-term treatment with interferon (IFN) alfa plus ribavirin decreases the proviral human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) DNA level. However, the short-term impact of IFN alfa on persistent HIV and its effects on immune activation after antiretroviral therapy remain unknown. Our study showed that the cell-associated HIV RNA level and CD4+ T-cell activation decreased in the IFN group (n = 10). No changes were detected in levels of residual plasma viremia, replication-competent reservoirs, proviral DNA, or 2–long-terminal repeat circles, although APOBEC3G, TRIM5α, BST2, and TRIM22 were upregulated in the IFN group. These data suggest that short-term treatment with IFN alfa combined with RBV decreases HIV expression, in part through inhibition of HIV transcription by TRIM22 and decrease in T-cell activation.
Oxford University Press