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Distinct phases of immune system programming during ART-suppressed immunodeficiency virus infection

Kaza, M.; Varco-Merth, B.; McElfresh, G.; Benjamin, S.; Boggy, G. J.; Chaunzwa, M.; Feltham, S.; Ojha, S.; Belica, K.; Selseth, A. N.; Nekorchuk, M.; Busman-Sahay, K.; Keele, B. F.; Barouch, D. H.; Lifson, J. D.; Estes, J. D.; Hansen, S. G.; Okoye, A.; Picker, L. J.; Bimber, B. N.

2026-05-01 immunology
10.64898/2026.04.29.721702 bioRxiv
Show abstract

People living with HIV (PLWH) on suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) can face non-AIDS complications, partially driven by chronic immune activation. To define immune perturbations during ART-suppressed viral infection, we performed longitudinal single-cell transcriptomic and plasma proteomic analysis of rhesus macaques infected with SIVmac239M and ART-treated for 70 weeks. We identified broad, bi-phasic immune changes. Acute infection involves an interferon-driven signature, correlated with viral replication, that largely resolves with viral control. Cell-associated virus correlated with interferon-stimulated genes in most tissues; however, this was blunted in gut-associated lymph nodes, a feature that may contribute to reservoir persistence. Separate alterations manifest 54-66 weeks-post-infection, after 40 weeks of viral suppression, including broad TGF-{beta} and NF-kB signaling and discrete bursts of inflammatory monocytes, largely restricted to bone marrow. These data highlight the biphasic remodeling of long-term ART-suppressed HIV, identifying specific tissues and cell populations with dysregulation, with implications for the treatment of PLWH.

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