HIV/HBV coinfection remodels the immune landscape and natural killer cell ADCC functional responses.

Sun B., da Costa KAS., Alrubayyi A., Kokici J., Fisher-Pearson N., Hussain N., D'Anna S., Piermatteo L., Salpini R., Svicher V., Kucykowicz S., Ghosh I., Burns F., Kinloch S., Simoes P., Bhagani S., Kennedy PTF., Maini MK., Bashford-Rogers R., Gill US., Peppa D.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: HBV and HIV coinfection is a common occurrence globally, with significant morbidity and mortality. Both viruses lead to immune dysregulation including changes in natural killer (NK) cells, a key component of antiviral defense and a promising target for HBV cure strategies. Here we used high-throughput single-cell analysis to explore the immune cell landscape in people with HBV mono-infection and HIV/HBV coinfection, on antiviral therapy, with emphasis on identifying the distinctive characteristics of NK cell subsets that can be therapeutically harnessed. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Our data show striking differences in the transcriptional programs of NK cells. HIV/HBV coinfection was characterized by an over-representation of adaptive, KLRC2 -expressing NK cells, including a higher abundance of a chemokine-enriched ( CCL3/CCL4 ) adaptive cluster. The NK cell remodeling in HIV/HBV coinfection was reflected in enriched activation pathways, including CD3ζ phosphorylation and ZAP-70 translocation that can mediate stronger antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity responses and a bias toward chemokine/cytokine signaling. By contrast, HBV mono-infection imposed a stronger cytotoxic profile on NK cells and a more prominent signature of "exhaustion" with higher circulating levels of HBsAg. Phenotypic alterations in the NK cell pool in coinfection were consistent with increased "adaptiveness" and better capacity for antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity compared to HBV mono-infection. Overall, an adaptive NK cell signature correlated inversely with circulating levels of HBsAg and HBV-RNA in our cohort. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides new insights into the differential signature and functional profile of NK cells in HBV and HIV/HBV coinfection, highlighting pathways that can be manipulated to tailor NK cell-focused approaches to advance HBV cure strategies in different patient groups.

DOI

10.1097/HEP.0000000000000877

Type

Journal article

Publication Date

2024-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

Volume

80

Pages

649 - 663

Total pages

14

Keywords

Humans, HIV Infections, Killer Cells, Natural, Coinfection, Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity, Male, Female, Adult, Hepatitis B, Middle Aged, Hepatitis B, Chronic

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