CD16⁺ monocytes represent 5–10% of peripheral blood monocytes in normal individuals and are dramatically expanded in several pathological conditions including sepsis, human immunodeficiency virus 1 infection, and cancer. CD16⁺ monocytes produce high levels of proinflammatory cytokines and may represent dendritic cell precursors in vivo. The mechanisms that mediate the recruitment of CD16⁺ monocytes into tissues remain unknown. Here we investigate molecular mechanisms of CD16⁺ monocyte trafficking and show that migration of CD16⁺ and CD16⁻ monocytes is mediated by distinct combinations of adhesion molecules and chemokine receptors. In contrast to CD16⁻ monocytes, CD16⁺ monocytes expressed high CX3CR1 and CXCR4 but low CCR2 and CD62L levels and underwent efficient transendo-thelial migration in response to fractalkine (FKN; FKN/CX3CL1) and stromal-derived factor 1α (CXCL12) but not monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (CCL2). CD16⁺ monocytes arrested on cell surface–expressed FKN under flow with higher frequency compared with CD16⁻ monocytes. These results demonstrate that FKN preferentially mediates arrest and migration of CD16⁺ monocytes and suggest that recruitment of this proinflammatory monocyte subset to vessel walls via the CX3CR1-FKN pathway may contribute to vascular and tissue injury during pathological conditions.

Elevated plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an indicator of microbial translocation from the gut, is a likely cause of systemic immune activation in chronic HIV infection. LPS induces monocyte activation and trafficking into brain, which are key mechanisms in the pathogenesis of HIV-associated dementia (HAD). To determine whether high LPS levels are associated with increased monocyte activation and HAD, we obtained peripheral blood samples from AIDS patients and examined plasma LPS by Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay, peripheral blood monocytes by FACS, and soluble markers of monocyte activation by ELISA. Purified monocytes were isolated by FACS sorting, and HIV DNA and RNA levels were quantified by real time PCR. Circulating monocytes expressed high levels of the activation markers CD69 and HLA-DR, and harbored low levels of HIV compared to CD4⁺ T-cells. High plasma LPS levels were associated with increased plasma sCD14 and LPS-binding protein (LBP) levels, and low endotoxin core antibody levels. LPS levels were higher in HAD patients compared to control groups, and were associated with HAD independently of plasma viral load and CD4 counts. LPS levels were higher in AIDS patients using intravenous heroin and/or ethanol, or with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection, compared to control groups. These results suggest a role for elevated LPS levels in driving monocyte activation in AIDS, thereby contributing to the pathogenesis of HAD, and provide evidence that cofactors linked to substance abuse and HCV co-infection influence these processes.

There is limited knowledge on the identity of primary CD4⁺ T cell subsets selectively targeted by HIV-1 in vivo. In this study, we established a link between HIV permissiveness, phenotype/homing potential, and lineage commitment in primary CD4⁺ T cells. CCR4⁺CCR6⁺, CCR4⁺CCR6⁻, CXCR3⁺CCR6⁺, and CXCR3⁺CCR6⁻ T cells expressed cytokines and transcription factors specific for Th17, Th2, Th1Th17, and Th1 lineages, respectively. CCR4⁺CCR6⁺ and CXCR3⁺CCR6⁺ T cells expressed the HIV coreceptors CCR5 and CXCR4 and were permissive to R5 and X4 HIV replication. CCR4⁺CCR6⁻ T cells expressed CXCR4 but not CCR5 and were permissive to X4 HIV only. CXCR3⁺CCR6⁻ T cells expressed CCR5 and CXCR4 but were relatively resistant to R5 and X4 HIV in vitro. Total CCR6⁺ T cells compared with CCR6⁻ T cells harbored higher levels of integrated HIV DNA in treatment-naive HIV-infected subjects. The frequency of total CCR6⁺ T cells and those of CCR4⁺CCR6⁺ and CXCR3⁺CCR6⁺ T cells were diminished in chronically infected HIV-positive subjects, despite viral-suppressive therapy. A high-throughput analysis of cytokine profiles identified CXCR3⁺CCR6⁺ T cells as a major source of TNF-α and CCL20 and demonstrated a decreased TNF-α/IL-10 ratio in CXCR3⁺CCR6⁻ T cells. Finally, CCR4⁺CCR6⁺ and CXCR3⁺CCR6⁺ T cells exhibited gut- and lymph node-homing potential. Thus, we identified CCR4⁺CCR6⁺ and CXCR3⁺CCR6⁺ T cells as highly permissive to HIV replication, with potential to infiltrate and recruit more CCR6⁺ T cells into anatomic sites of viral replication. It is necessary that new therapeutic strategies against HIV interfere with viral replication/persistence in discrete CCR6⁺ T cell subsets.

Human peripheral blood monocytes (Mo) consist of subsets distinguished by expression of CD16 (FCγRIII) and chemokine receptors. Classical CD16- Mo express CCR2 and migrate in response to CCL2, while a minor CD16+ Mo subset expresses CD16 and CX3CR1 and migrates into tissues expressing CX3CL1. CD16+ Mo produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and are expanded in certain inflammatory conditions including sepsis and HIV infection.