PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Wang, Chao
AU  - Edilova, Maria I.
AU  - Wagar, Lisa E.
AU  - Mujib, Shariq
AU  - Singer, Meromit
AU  - Bernard, Nicole F.
AU  - Croughs, Thérèse
AU  - Lederman, Michael M.
AU  - Sereti, Irini
AU  - Fischl, Margaret A.
AU  - Kremmer, Elisabeth
AU  - Ostrowski, Mario
AU  - Routy, Jean-Pierre
AU  - Watts, Tania H.
TI  - Effect of IL-7 Therapy on Phospho-Ribosomal Protein S6 and TRAF1 Expression in HIV-Specific CD8 T Cells in Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy
AID  - 10.4049/jimmunol.1601254
DP  - 2018 Jan 15
TA  - The Journal of Immunology
PG  - 558--564
VI  - 200
IP  - 2
4099  - http://www.jimmunol.org/content/200/2/558.short
4100  - http://www.jimmunol.org/content/200/2/558.full
SO  - J. Immunol.2018 Jan 15; 200
AB  - IL-7 therapy has been evaluated in patients who do not regain normal CD4 T cell counts after virologically successful antiretroviral therapy. IL-7 increases total circulating CD4 and CD8 T cell counts; however, its effect on HIV-specific CD8 T cells has not been fully examined. TRAF1, a prosurvival signaling adaptor required for 4-1BB–mediated costimulation, is lost from chronically stimulated virus-specific CD8 T cells with progression of HIV infection in humans and during chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis infection in mice. Previous results showed that IL-7 can restore TRAF1 expression in virus-specific CD8 T cells in mice, rendering them sensitive to anti–4-1BB agonist therapy. In this article, we show that IL-7 therapy in humans increases the number of circulating HIV-specific CD8 T cells. For a subset of patients, we also observed an increased frequency of TRAF1+ HIV-specific CD8 T cells 10 wk after completion of IL-7 treatment. IL-7 treatment increased levels of phospho-ribosomal protein S6 in HIV-specific CD8 T cells, suggesting increased activation of the metabolic checkpoint kinase mTORC1. Thus, IL-7 therapy in antiretroviral therapy–treated patients induces sustained changes in the number and phenotype of HIV-specific T cells.