Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 12, 2026
A Simple Flow Cytometric Method to Measure Glucose Uptake and Glucose Transporter Expression for Monocyte Subpopulations in Whole Blood
Published on: August 12, 2016
Increased glucose transporter-1 expression on intermediate monocytes from HIV-infected women with subclinical
Tiffany R Butterfield1, David B Hanna, Robert C Kaplan
1aDepartment of Microbiology, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica bDepartment of Epidemiology and Population Health cDepartment of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York dDepartment of Pathology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, New York City, New York eDivision of Infectious Diseases, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C fDepartment of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles gDepartment of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California hDepartment of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland iDivision of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina jDepartment of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia kDivision of Infectious Diseases, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida lDivision of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama mDepartment of Immunology and Microbiology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA nCentre for Biomedical Research, Burnet Institute oDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Monash University pDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Objective:
People living with HIV (PLWH) have chronic immune activation and increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Activation of monocytes and T lymphocytes causes upregulation of glucose transporter-1 (GLUT1) for efficient function. PLWH have an increased percentage of GLUT1-expressing monocytes and T lymphocytes, but it is unclear if these cells are associated with CVD. We evaluated the expression of GLUT1 and CD38 on monocyte and T lymphocyte populations from HIV-infected women with subclinical CVD.
Methods:
Participants with more than 75th percentile (n = 15) and less than 25th percentile (n = 15) age-adjusted intima-media thickness (IMT) at the right common carotid artery and bifurcation were identified from the Women's Interagency HIV Study. Groups were matched by age, race/ethnicity, smoking status, and CD4 cell count. All women were receiving suppressive antiretroviral therapy except for one high and one low IMT participant. Monocyte and T lymphocyte populations were evaluated for GLUT1 and CD38 expression using flow cytometry.
Results:
Intermediate monocytes from high IMT women had significantly increased expression of GLUT1 (310 MFI vs. 210 MFI, P = 0.024) (66.4% vs. 48.5%, P = 0.031) and CD38 (339 MFI vs. 211 MFI, P = 0.002) (10.5% vs. 3.8%, P = 0.0002) compared with women with low IMT. High and low IMT participants showed no differences in GLUT1 or CD38 expression on classical monocytes, nonclassical monocytes, CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes.
Conclusion:
GLUT1-expressing intermediate monocytes are elevated in HIV-infected women with subclinical CVD. These cells may contribute to development of CVD in PLWH and could be a novel target to limit inflammation.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Glucose Transporters
Facilitated diffusion-glucose transporters (GLUTs) are encoded by the solute-linked carrier (SLC) family 2, subfamily A gene family, or SLC2A. The 14 GLUT protein members are distributed into three classes:
01:26Glucose Absorption Into the Small Intestine
01:02Glucose Homeostasis: Regulation of Blood Glucose
During fasting, when blood glucose levels are low, the pancreas secretes glucagon. it...
01:20Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility,...
01:22Diabetes Mellitus: Overview and Type I Subtype
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin, and individuals with...