Gene expression profiling of chemokines and chemokine receptors on B-cells in chronically HIV-1 infected patients

From the analysis of all genes included in the array a number of individual genes were identified as dys-regulated in HIV-1 infected patients compared to healthy controls. In particular, increased CXCL13 expression in all individual patient samples. Abstract from publication: HIV-1 infection is associated with B-cell abnormalities such as hypergammaglobulinemia, poor immunisation responses and loss of serological memory. To determine whether altered expression of chemokine receptors and their ligands may play a role in B-cell dysfunctions during HIV-1 infection, the expression of CXCR4, CXCR5 and CCR7 receptors and their respective ligands on CD19+ B-cells were examined in HIV-1 infected patients and controls. We report a decreased CXCR5 expression on B-cells from patients (p<0.05), a phenomenon associated with a low CD4 T-cell count (<350 cells/µl). Interestingly, an increased expression of CXCL13, the ligand for CXCR5, was found in peripheral B-cells from HIV-1 infected patients. Moreover upon B-cell activation in vitro, CXCL13 was secreted in culture. In addition, CXCL13 positive B-cells were also found in the lymph nodes of HIV-1 infected patients, but not in control tissue. B-cell migration towards CXCL13, CXCL12 and CCL21, ligands for CXCR5, CXCR4 and CCR7, was also evaluated. In patients with a low CD4 Tcell count, migration towards all ligands was increased. Our findings indicate that altered expression of the chemokine receptor-ligand pair, CXCR5/CXCL13 may participate in the establishment of B-cell dysfunctions during HIV-1 infection. Total RNA was extracted from purified peripheral B-cells from 4 controls and 4 patients.