Reactivating latent HIV with PKC agonists induces resistance to apoptosis and is associated with phosphorylation and activation of BCL2
Fig 5
BCL2+ T cells Occur More in HIV-1+ Donors than in Uninfected Donors and Express More p24 than BCL2- cells.
A-B) Primary CD4 T cells from HIV positive donors were treated ex vivo with a panel of LRAs at physiologic concentrations, and assessed for intracellular BCL2 and HIV-p24 expression by flow cytometry. Representative FACS plots on unstimulated and maximally stimulated cells are in (A). Full data are represented in (B). A ratio paired t test comparing BCL2+ cells and BCL2- cells in all treatment conditions was used to assess statistical significance. C) Potential LRA-induced proliferation or toxicity was assessed in the treated CD4 T cells from (A-B) by measuring ATP content. D-E) Ex vivo CD4 T cells from 4 ART-suppressed, HIV positive donors were FACS sorted by intracellular BCL2 expression (D) and total HIV DNA measured in sorted cells by digital droplet PCR (E). F) PBMCs from healthy donors and HIV-positive persons were stained for T cell subsets using Live/Dead, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD27, and CD45RO. BCL2 expression in T cell subsets from healthy donors and HIV-infected persons were compared. Statistical significance was determined using multiple t tests.