Short Communication: Apoptotic Membrane Microparticles Quantified by Fluorescent Bead-Based Assay Are Elevated in HIV and SIV Infections.

Apoptotic membrane microparticles (MMPs) derived from dying cells of multiple cell origins are highly immunostimulatory and are indicative of global immune activation and cell death in a variety of diseases. In this study, we developed a flow cytometric bead assay to quantify annexin-V apoptotic (MMPs) in plasma from humans and rhesus macaques. With a combination of flow cytometry and pan-fluorescent beads, MMPs were enumerated in plasma specimens by adding a constant ratio of beads to initial fluid volumes and then calculating MMP/mL based on MMP-to-bead ratios. Using this straightforward assay, we found that circulating MMP quantifications were highly reproducible and similar in number between normal rhesus macaques and humans subjects. However, MMPs increased two- to threefold during HIV and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infections and were positively associated with T cell immune activation. Collectively, we present a rapid bead-based assay for both humans and macaque models to quantify MMPs that could be an instigator and predictor of immune activation, which is a primary source of HIV/SIV disease.