[BTLA Characterization and its association with disease progression in patients with chronic HIV-1 infection]

Abstract

Aim: To characterize the B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA, CD272) expression on CD4(+); and CD8(+); T lymphocytes during chronic HIV-1 infection, and analyze the clinical significance for its expression and disease progression.

Methods: BTLA expression on T cells in peripheral blood from 34 patients with chronic HIV-1 infection and 15 healthy donors was measured using flow cytometry. The correlation between BTLA expression and CD4 T cell counts and virus load was also analyzed.

Results: BTLA expression on both CD4 and CD8 T cells was significantly down-regulated in HIV-1-infected subjects compared to HCs and the down-regulation of BTLA expression on total T-cell subsets was associated with the progression of HIV-1 infection. BTLA expression on CD4 T cells was positively correlated with CD4 T cell counts and negatively correlated with HIV virus load.

Conclusion: BTLA signaling pathway may play an important role in the unbalance between the stimulating and inhibitory signal which results in the general immune activation during chronic HIV-1 infection. Manipulation of BTLA inhibitory pathway may present an alternative strategy for overcoming immune activation for this disease.