Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infects Functionally Polarized Memory CD4 T Cells Equivalently In Vivo

Among the numerous immunological abnormalities observed in chronically human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals, perturbations in memory CD4 T cells are thought to contribute specifically to disease pathogenesis. Among these, functional imbalances in the frequencies of T regulatory cells (Tregs) and interleukin 17 (IL-17)/IL-22-producing Th cells (Th17/Th22) from mucosal sites and T follicular helper (Tfh) cells in lymph nodes are thought to facilitate specific aspects of disease pathogenesis. However, while preferential infection of Tfh cells is widely thought to create an important viral reservoir in an immunologically privileged site in vivo, whether immunological perturbations among memory CD4 T cell populations are attributable to their relative infectivity by the virus in vivo is unclear. Here we studied peripheral blood and lymphoid tissues from antiretroviral (ARV)-treated and ARV-naive Asian macaques and isolated functionally defined populations of memory CD4 T cells. We then assessed the degree to which these populations were infected by simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in vivo, to determine whether particular functionally identified populations of memory CD4 T cells were preferentially infected by the virus. We found that SIV did not preferentially infect Th17 cells, compared to Th1 cells, Th2 cells, or Tregs. Moreover, Th17 cells contributed proportionately to the total pool of infected cells. Taken together, our data suggest that, although Tfh cells are more prone to harbor viral DNA, other functionally polarized cells are equally infected by the virus in vivo and Th17 cells are not preferentially infected.IMPORTANCE Functional perturbations of memory CD4 T cells have been suggested to underlie important aspects of HIV disease progression. However, the mechanisms underlying these perturbations remain unclear. Using a nonhuman primate model of HIV, we show that SIV infects functionally defined populations of memory CD4 T cells equally in different anatomic sites. Thus, preferential infection by the virus is unlikely to cause functional perturbations.