Polyclonal B cell differentiation and loss of gastrointestinal tract germinal centers in the earliest stages of HIV-1 infection.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
BACKGROUND: The antibody response to HIV-1 does not appear in the plasma until approximately 2-5 weeks after transmission, and neutralizing antibodies to autologous HIV-1 generally do not become detectable until 12 weeks or more after transmission. Moreover, levels of HIV-1-specific antibodies decline on antiretroviral treatment. The mechanisms of this delay in the appearance of anti-HIV-1 antibodies and of their subsequent rapid decline are not known. While the effect of HIV-1 on depletion of gut CD4(+) T cells in acute HIV-1 infection is well described, we studied blood and tissue B cells soon after infection to determine the effect of early HIV-1 on these cells. METHODS AND FINDINGS: In human participants, we analyzed B cells in blood as early as 17 days after HIV-1 infection, and in terminal ileum inductive and effector microenvironments beginning at 47 days after infection. We found that HIV-1 infection rapidly induced polyclonal activation and terminal differentiation of B cells in blood and in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) B cells. The specificities of antibodies produced by GALT memory B cells in acute HIV-1 infection (AHI) included not only HIV-1-specific antibodies, but also influenza-specific and autoreactive antibodies, indicating very early onset of HIV-1-induced polyclonal B cell activation. Follicular damage or germinal center loss in terminal ileum Peyer's patches was seen with 88% of follicles exhibiting B or T cell apoptosis and follicular lysis. CONCLUSIONS: Early induction of polyclonal B cell differentiation, coupled with follicular damage and germinal center loss soon after HIV-1 infection, may explain both the high rate of decline in HIV-1-induced antibody responses and the delay in plasma antibody responses to HIV-1. Please see later in the article for Editors' Summary.
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Duke Authors
- Allgood, Sallie
- Haynes, Barton Ford
- Kelsoe, Garnett H.
- Liao, Hua-Xin
- Moody, Michael Anthony
- Parker, Daniel Christopher
- Shen, Xiaoying
- Tomaras, Georgia Doris
Cited Authors
- Levesque, MC; Moody, MA; Hwang, K-K; Marshall, DJ; Whitesides, JF; Amos, JD; Gurley, TC; Allgood, S; Haynes, BB; Vandergrift, NA; Plonk, S; Parker, DC; Cohen, MS; Tomaras, GD; Goepfert, PA; Shaw, GM; Schmitz, JE; Eron, JJ; Shaheen, NJ; Hicks, CB; Liao, H-X; Markowitz, M; Kelsoe, G; Margolis, DM; Haynes, BF
Published Date
- July 7, 2009
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 6 / 7
Start / End Page
- e1000107 -
PubMed ID
- 19582166
Pubmed Central ID
- PMC2702159
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1549-1676
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000107
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States