NK cells from Men Who Have Sex with Men at high risk for HIV-1 infection exhibit higher effector capacity

Despite being under constant exposure to HIV-1, some individuals do not show serological or clinical evidence of infection and are known as HESN (HIV-Exposed Seronegative). Multiple studies in different HESN cohorts have linked the NK cells as a correlate of resistance; however, little is known about the role of these cells in Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) with high risk sexual behaviors. We evaluated a general overview of activation and effector features of NK cells of MSM co-cultured with LT CD4(+) HIV+ in which MSM at high risk of HIV-1 infection (HR-MSM) exhibit higher capacity to eliminate infected cells, reduced percentages of CD69(+) cells when compared to MSM at low risk of infection (LR-MSM). In addition, we found that, despite the lower levels of CD69(+) NK cells on HR-MSM group, within this population, higher percentages of CD69(+) IFN-gamma (+) and CD69(+) NKG2D(+) NK cells were found together with higher levels of RANTES and Granzyme B production with higher antiviral capacity, resulting in a lower concentration of p24 protein and p24(+) CD4(+) T cells. Altogether, this information suggests that NK cells of MSM could impact the capacity to face the viral infection.

Automated summary

Studies suggest that the activation and effector features of NK cells may be related to resistance to HIV infection in men who have sex with men.