Robust and persistent SIV and HIV reactivation under ART by N-803 and CD8 depletion

Impact of CD8 depletion on peripheral CD4+ T cells transcriptome during ART-treated SIV infection of rhesus macaques. Analysis of CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, and NK cell transcriptomes following administration of HIV/SIV latency reversing agent IL-15 superagonist N-803 in ART-suppressed SIV infected rhesus macaques. Methods: RNA-Seq of sorted CD4+ T cells from SIV-infected, ART-suppressed rhesus macaques before intervention with the anti-CD8a depleting antibody MT807R1 and then again on day 3, week 2, and week 4 following the start of intervention. Some animals also had an intervention that includes four weekly administrations of the IL-15 superagonist complex N-803 initiated at the time of CD8 depletion. Methods: RNA-Seq of sorted CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and NK cells from SIV-infected, ART-suppressed rhesus macaques before intervention with four weekly administrations of the IL-15 superagonist complex N-803, then again on day 3, week 2, and week 4 following the start of intervention. Methods: RNA from sorted cells was collected and extracted and DNA was digested. Libraries were prepared and normalized, pooled, and clustered on a flow cells for sequencing. RNAseq data were aligned to the MacaM v7.8 assembly of the Indian rhesus macaque genome. To identify pathways differentially modulated, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA)34 was performed on the ranked transcript lists using 1000 phenotype permutations and random seeding. Gene sets used included the MSigDB H (hallmark) gene sets Overall design: Seven animals from each of the three groups were used (N-803 alone, CD8 depletion alone, CD8 depletion with N-803). Only CD4+ T cells were sorted and analyzed from the two groups receiving CD8 depletion. CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and NK cells were sorted and analyzed from the group receiving N-803 alone. Cells from four time points (pre-intervention, day 3, week 2, and week 4) were collected across groups and cell types.