Expansion of GARP-Expressing CD4+CD25−FoxP3+ T Cells and SATB1 Association with Activation and Coagulation in Immune Compromised HIV-1-Infected Individuals in South Africa

Although antiretroviral treatment lowers the burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related disease, it does not always result in immunological recovery. This manifests as persistent chronic inflammation, immune activation or exhaustion that can promote the onset of co-morbidities. As the exact function of regulatory T (Treg) cells in HIV remains unclear, this cross-sectional study investigated three expression markers (Forkhead box protein P3 [FOXP3], glycoprotein A repetitions predominant [GARP], special AT-rich sequence binding protein 1 [SATB1]) and compared their expansion between CD4+CD25− and CD4+CD25++ T cells. Age-matched study subjects were recruited (Western Cape, South Africa) and sub-divided: HIV-negative subjects (n = 12), HIV-positive naive treated (n = 22), HIV-positive treated based on CD4 count cells/µL (CD4 > 500 and CD4 1000) (n = 34). Markers of immune activation (CD38) and coagulation (CD142) on T cells (CD8) were assessed by flow cytometry together with FOXP3, GARP and SATB1 expression on CD4+CD25− and CD4+CD25++ T cells. Plasma levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10; anti-inflammatory marker), IL-6 (inflammatory marker) and D-dimer (coagulation marker) were assessed. This study revealed three major findings in immuno-compromised patients with virological failure (CD4 1000): (1) the expansion of the unconventional Treg cell subset (CD4+CD25−FOXP3+) is linked with disease progression markers; (2) increased GARP expression in the CD4+CD25− and CD4+CD25++ subsets; and (3) the identification of a strong link between CD4+CD25−SATB1+ cells and markers of immune activation (CD8+CD38+) and coagulation (CD8+CD142+ and D-dimer).