scRNAseq in HIV+ Viremic Non-Progressors (VNPs) and HIV+ Progressors

Viremic Non-Progressors (VNPs) maintain normal CD4+ T-cell counts despite uncontrolled HIV-1 replication, but mechanisms leading to CD4+ T-cell preservation are incompletely characterized. We aim to generate a comprehensive understanding of this infrequent phenotype by comparing rates of cellular infection, immunophenotype, genomics, single-cell transcriptomics, metabolomics, and levels of plasma biomarkers in 16 VNPs and 29 HIV+ Progressors. During chronic infection VNPs show lower frequency of HIV-1-infected cells in periphery, which is associated with reduced CCR5 expression and higher prevalence of CCR5?32 heterozygosity. The CD8+ T-cell compartment displays a less cytotoxic and less activated phenotype in VNPs. Moreover, despite similar viremia, we found lower bystander CD4+ T-cell death in the VNPs, together with weaker IFN responses, reduced plasma levels of zonulin (a biomarker of intestinal permeability), altered tryptophan catabolism, and preserved LPS responsiveness in vitro. Overall, a complex multifactorial mechanism, suggesting gut-associated lymphoid tissue preservation, underlies resistance to HIV pathogenesis in VNPs.