Immune cell phenotypes across tissues in people with HIV

This review summarizes our current understanding of immune cell phenotypes across human tissues in the context of HIV infection, with particular emphasis on insights from postmortem studies.

Rapid autopsy cohorts enable systematic collection of multiple anatomical sites within hours of death, including tissues inaccessible during life. Together with biopsy studies, these approaches have revealed tissue-specific phenotypes and functions of HIV-susceptible cells, of long-lived HIV reservoir cells that are the main barrier to cure, and of CD8+ T cells and NK cells as effectors that can recognize and eliminate HIV-infected cells.

Immune cell phenotypes relevant to HIV susceptibility, persistence, and antiviral control diverge across anatomical sites and differ substantially from their counterparts in peripheral blood.