Ponnan Sivasankaran Munusamy, Govindaraj Sakthivel, Velu Vijayakumar
Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory Vaccine Center, Emory National Primate Research Center (ENPRC).
Curr Opin HIV AIDS. 2025 Mar 1;20(2):154-158. doi: 10.1097/COH.0000000000000916. Epub 2025 Jan 2.
Natural killer (NK) cells are integral components of the innate immune system, serving a vital function in eliminating virally infected cells. This review highlights the significance of CXCR5+ NK cells in the context of chronic HIV/SIV infection and viral control.
Controlled HIV/SHIV infection results in a substantial increase in the population of CXCR5+ NK cells within the B-cell follicles of secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs). These CXCR5+ NK cells display enhanced functional characteristics, including elevated expression of activation markers and increased cytokine production, which are essential for effective viral control. These follicular NK cells are shown to be enriched in IL-15 signaling, and CXCR5 NK cells are negatively associated with viral burden during chronic HIV and SHIV infection.
The distinct phenotypic and functional attributes of CXCR5+ NK cells, particularly in the lymphoid tissues of individuals living with HIV, emphasize their critical contribution to the anti-HIV-1 immune response. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms and roles of CXCR5+ NK cells may present novel therapeutic strategies aimed at enhancing NK-mediated viral control.
自然杀伤（NK）细胞是先天免疫系统的重要组成部分，在清除病毒感染细胞中发挥着至关重要的作用。本综述强调了CXCR5⁺ NK细胞在慢性HIV/SIV感染及病毒控制背景下的重要性。
受控制的HIV/SHIV感染导致次级淋巴器官（SLO）B细胞滤泡内CXCR5⁺ NK细胞群体大幅增加。这些CXCR5⁺ NK细胞表现出增强的功能特性，包括激活标志物表达升高和细胞因子产生增加，这对于有效控制病毒至关重要。这些滤泡性NK细胞显示富含IL-15信号，并且在慢性HIV和SHIV感染期间，CXCR5 NK细胞与病毒载量呈负相关。
CXCR5⁺ NK细胞独特的表型和功能特性，尤其是在HIV感染者的淋巴组织中，强调了它们对抗HIV-1免疫反应的关键贡献。全面了解CXCR5⁺ NK细胞的机制和作用可能会带来旨在增强NK细胞介导的病毒控制的新治疗策略。
