Abstract
Individuals who have been exposed to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and have not been infected might possess natural resistance mechanisms. An understanding of the sociodemographic and immunological conditions that influence resistance to HIV is a challenge, and very little is known about the role of intrinsic antiviral factors that restrict HIV infection. The aim of this study was to analyze potential factors responsible for resistance to HIV infection in serodiscordant couples by comparing HIV-exposed seronegative individuals (HESN) to HIV-seropositive individuals treated with antiretroviral therapy (HIV-ART) along with healthy controls (HC). The results revealed one HLA-B*27 and two HLA-B*57 individuals among the HESN; a CCR5Δ32 heterozygous deletion was observed in one serodiscordant couple, while the homozygous genotype for this variant was not observed. There were no differences in the basal mRNA expression of APOBEC3G, CFLAR, TRIM5α, LEDGF/p75, BST-2, or SAMHD1 in CD4(+) T lymphocyte- and monocyte-enriched populations among the three groups, and lower HBD-3 concentrations were observed in saliva from HIV-ART compared to HESN and HC. The most prevalent HIV-1 subtype was C or C-containing recombinant forms. Six HIV-ART individuals and one HIV-ART individual were infected with the R5 HIV and X4 HIV strains, respectively. The ability to control infection or delay disease progression is probably defined by a balance between viral and host factors, and further evaluation should be performed in larger cohorts. Our data suggest that susceptibility to HIV infection varies among individuals and strengthens the multifactorial characteristics underlying the resistance mechanisms in HIV.