Phylodynamics of HIV-1 in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues reveals a central role for the thymus in emergence of CXCR4-using quasispecies

BACKGROUND: During HIV-1 infection coreceptor switch from CCR5- (R5)- to CXCR4 (X4)-using viruses is associated with disease progression. X4 strains of HIV-1 are highly cytopathic to immature thymocytes. Virtually no studies have evaluated the HIV-1 quasispecies present in vivo within thymic and ly...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Salemi, M, Burkhardt, B, Gray, R, Ghaffari, G, Sleasman, J, Goodenow, M
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science 2007
_version_ 1797088781666353152
author Salemi, M
Burkhardt, B
Gray, R
Ghaffari, G
Sleasman, J
Goodenow, M
author_facet Salemi, M
Burkhardt, B
Gray, R
Ghaffari, G
Sleasman, J
Goodenow, M
author_sort Salemi, M
collection OXFORD
description BACKGROUND: During HIV-1 infection coreceptor switch from CCR5- (R5)- to CXCR4 (X4)-using viruses is associated with disease progression. X4 strains of HIV-1 are highly cytopathic to immature thymocytes. Virtually no studies have evaluated the HIV-1 quasispecies present in vivo within thymic and lymphoid tissues or the evolutionary relationship between R5 and X4 viruses in tissues and peripheral blood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: High-resolution phylodynamic analysis was applied to virus envelope quasispecies in longitudinal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues collected post mortem from therapy naïve children with AIDS. There were three major findings. First, continued evolution of R5 viruses in PBMCs, spleen and lymph nodes involved multiple bottlenecks, independent of coreceptor switch, resulting in fitter quasispecies driven by positive selection. Second, evolution of X4 strains appeared to be a sequential process requiring the initial fixation of positively selected mutations in V1-V2 and C2 domains of R5 variants before the emergence of high charge V3 X4 variants. Third, R5 viruses persisted after the emergence of CXCR4-using strains, which were found predominantly but not exclusively in the thymus. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data indicate that the evolution of X4 strains is a multi-step, temporally structured process and that the thymus may play an important role in the evolution/amplification of coreceptor variants. Development of new therapeutic protocols targeting virus in the thymus could be important to control HIV-1 infection prior to advanced disease.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T02:54:59Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:aef48499-b99f-49ac-8621-29e3f26552f0
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T02:54:59Z
publishDate 2007
publisher Public Library of Science
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:aef48499-b99f-49ac-8621-29e3f26552f02022-03-27T03:46:22ZPhylodynamics of HIV-1 in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues reveals a central role for the thymus in emergence of CXCR4-using quasispeciesJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:aef48499-b99f-49ac-8621-29e3f26552f0EnglishSymplectic Elements at OxfordPublic Library of Science2007Salemi, MBurkhardt, BGray, RGhaffari, GSleasman, JGoodenow, M BACKGROUND: During HIV-1 infection coreceptor switch from CCR5- (R5)- to CXCR4 (X4)-using viruses is associated with disease progression. X4 strains of HIV-1 are highly cytopathic to immature thymocytes. Virtually no studies have evaluated the HIV-1 quasispecies present in vivo within thymic and lymphoid tissues or the evolutionary relationship between R5 and X4 viruses in tissues and peripheral blood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: High-resolution phylodynamic analysis was applied to virus envelope quasispecies in longitudinal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues collected post mortem from therapy naïve children with AIDS. There were three major findings. First, continued evolution of R5 viruses in PBMCs, spleen and lymph nodes involved multiple bottlenecks, independent of coreceptor switch, resulting in fitter quasispecies driven by positive selection. Second, evolution of X4 strains appeared to be a sequential process requiring the initial fixation of positively selected mutations in V1-V2 and C2 domains of R5 variants before the emergence of high charge V3 X4 variants. Third, R5 viruses persisted after the emergence of CXCR4-using strains, which were found predominantly but not exclusively in the thymus. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data indicate that the evolution of X4 strains is a multi-step, temporally structured process and that the thymus may play an important role in the evolution/amplification of coreceptor variants. Development of new therapeutic protocols targeting virus in the thymus could be important to control HIV-1 infection prior to advanced disease.
spellingShingle Salemi, M
Burkhardt, B
Gray, R
Ghaffari, G
Sleasman, J
Goodenow, M
Phylodynamics of HIV-1 in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues reveals a central role for the thymus in emergence of CXCR4-using quasispecies
title Phylodynamics of HIV-1 in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues reveals a central role for the thymus in emergence of CXCR4-using quasispecies
title_full Phylodynamics of HIV-1 in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues reveals a central role for the thymus in emergence of CXCR4-using quasispecies
title_fullStr Phylodynamics of HIV-1 in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues reveals a central role for the thymus in emergence of CXCR4-using quasispecies
title_full_unstemmed Phylodynamics of HIV-1 in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues reveals a central role for the thymus in emergence of CXCR4-using quasispecies
title_short Phylodynamics of HIV-1 in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues reveals a central role for the thymus in emergence of CXCR4-using quasispecies
title_sort phylodynamics of hiv 1 in lymphoid and non lymphoid tissues reveals a central role for the thymus in emergence of cxcr4 using quasispecies
work_keys_str_mv AT salemim phylodynamicsofhiv1inlymphoidandnonlymphoidtissuesrevealsacentralroleforthethymusinemergenceofcxcr4usingquasispecies
AT burkhardtb phylodynamicsofhiv1inlymphoidandnonlymphoidtissuesrevealsacentralroleforthethymusinemergenceofcxcr4usingquasispecies
AT grayr phylodynamicsofhiv1inlymphoidandnonlymphoidtissuesrevealsacentralroleforthethymusinemergenceofcxcr4usingquasispecies
AT ghaffarig phylodynamicsofhiv1inlymphoidandnonlymphoidtissuesrevealsacentralroleforthethymusinemergenceofcxcr4usingquasispecies
AT sleasmanj phylodynamicsofhiv1inlymphoidandnonlymphoidtissuesrevealsacentralroleforthethymusinemergenceofcxcr4usingquasispecies
AT goodenowm phylodynamicsofhiv1inlymphoidandnonlymphoidtissuesrevealsacentralroleforthethymusinemergenceofcxcr4usingquasispecies