Frontiers in Immunology (Nov 2019)

ATM Deficiency Accelerates DNA Damage, Telomere Erosion, and Premature T Cell Aging in HIV-Infected Individuals on Antiretroviral Therapy

  • Juan Zhao,
  • Juan Zhao,
  • Lam Ngoc Thao Nguyen,
  • Lam Ngoc Thao Nguyen,
  • Lam Nhat Nguyen,
  • Lam Nhat Nguyen,
  • Xindi Dang,
  • Xindi Dang,
  • Dechao Cao,
  • Dechao Cao,
  • Sushant Khanal,
  • Sushant Khanal,
  • Madison Schank,
  • Madison Schank,
  • Bal Krishna Chand Thakuri,
  • Bal Krishna Chand Thakuri,
  • Stella C. Ogbu,
  • Stella C. Ogbu,
  • Zheng D. Morrison,
  • Zheng D. Morrison,
  • Xiao Y. Wu,
  • Xiao Y. Wu,
  • Zhengke Li,
  • Zhengke Li,
  • Yue Zou,
  • Mohamed El Gazzar,
  • Shunbin Ning,
  • Shunbin Ning,
  • Ling Wang,
  • Ling Wang,
  • Jonathan P. Moorman,
  • Jonathan P. Moorman,
  • Jonathan P. Moorman,
  • Zhi Q. Yao,
  • Zhi Q. Yao,
  • Zhi Q. Yao

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.02531
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

Read online

HIV infection leads to a phenomenon of inflammaging, in which chronic inflammation induces an immune aged phenotype, even in individuals on combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) with undetectable viremia. In this study, we investigated T cell homeostasis and telomeric DNA damage and repair machineries in cART-controlled HIV patients at risk for inflammaging. We found a significant depletion of CD4 T cells, which was inversely correlated with the cell apoptosis in virus-suppressed HIV subjects compared to age-matched healthy subjects (HS). In addition, HIV CD4 T cells were prone to DNA damage that extended to chromosome ends—telomeres, leading to accelerated telomere erosion—a hallmark of cell senescence. Mechanistically, the DNA double-strand break (DSB) sensors MRE11, RAD50, and NBS1 (MRN complex) remained intact, but both expression and activity of the DNA damage checkpoint kinase ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and its downstream checkpoint kinase 2 (CHK2) were significantly suppressed in HIV CD4 T cells. Consistently, ATM/CHK2 activation, DNA repair, and cellular functions were also impaired in healthy CD4 T cells following ATM knockdown or exposure to the ATM inhibitor KU60019 in vitro, recapitulating the biological effects observed in HIV-derived CD4 T cells in vivo. Importantly, ectopic expression of ATM was essential and sufficient to reduce the DNA damage, apoptosis, and cellular dysfunction in HIV-derived CD4 T cells. These results demonstrate that failure of DSB repair due to ATM deficiency leads to increased DNA damage and renders CD4 T cells prone to senescence and apoptotic death, contributing to CD4 T cell depletion or dysfunction in cART-controlled, latent HIV infection.

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