Neutrophils in People Living With HIV-1 on antiretroviral treatment conserve their cytokine and chemokine secretion capacity and display enhanced expression of Fc receptors

Neutrophils are innate immune cells with key immunomodulatory functions. In a murine retroviral model, we previously showed their essential role in promoting protective immunity during antiviral antibody therapy via Fc-Fc{gamma} receptor (Fc{gamma}R) interactions. Here, we investigated the immunomodulatory properties of neutrophils in the context of HIV-1 infection and therapy through a comprehensive analysis of their functional activation and the regulation of Fc{gamma}R expression. Neutrophils from healthy donors (HD) and people living with HIV-1 (PLWH) were stimulated with TLR ligands, free HIV-1, immune complexes (ICs) formed with broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), or pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF, IFN{gamma}). In response, they secreted various cytokines and chemokines that can recruit and activate immune cells in a stimulus-dependent manner. Compared to TLR agonist and cytokine activation, HD neutrophils showed limited cytokine production in response to free HIV-1 or ICs alone as well as a minimal Fc{gamma}R modulation. However, PLWH neutrophils showed heightened responsiveness to microbial stimuli linked to HIV-1 pathogenesis, secreting higher levels of IFN{gamma}, CXCL1, CCL2, CCL3, and CCL4. They also expressed higher levels of two activating Fc{gamma}Rs (Fc{gamma}RI and Fc{gamma}RIIIb), as well as CD11b, CD63, CXCR4, and PD-L1, indicating an altered activation state. These findings highlight the influence of the inflammatory milieu on neutrophil function and Fc{gamma}R regulation in HIV-1 infection and mAb-based therapies.