Increased Replication of HIV‐1 Minor Variants during Hematopoietic Stem‐Cell Mobilization with Filgrastim

Abstract

The hypothesis that filgrastim (r-met-huG-CSF) activates replication of minor variants of human inmmunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) was tested by analysis of plasma quasi-species composition in 7 subjects in whom plasma HIV-1 RNA had increased during filgrastim treatment. Inferred phylogenetic trees of env sequences from 3 subjects during filgrastim treatment contained unique intrasubject subclusters that shared a most recent common ancestor with the baseline HIV-1 quasi species. Genotypes in the unique subclusters were not detected before filgrastim treatment, yet they composed 40%-70% of the plasma quasi species during treatment. The minority variants that appeared in 1 subject were more distantly related to plasma quasi species present 5 years before filgrastim treatment than were the majority of the pretreatment plasma quasi species. These findings provide evidence that increased HIV-1 replication during filgrastim treatment was associated with activation of HIV-1 variants that, before filgrastim treatment, were minor components of the plasma quasi species.

Effects on virological and immunological parameters during CD34 mobilization in HIV patients with lymphoma

“…Although there are several mechanisms by which G-CSF treatment could stimulate HIV replication [9], our results showed that HIV load wasn't consistently affected by the G-CSF in patients with severe immune depletion under HAART.…”

Stem Cell Transplantation for Lymphoma Patients with HIV Infection

“…Because the majority of the information on the effects of G-CSF on lymphocyte functions and HIV life cycle were initially based on in vitro data, in vivo measurements were rapidly needed. Campbell et al (24) suggested that in HIV-positive subjects undergoing stem cell mobilization, G-CSF produced transient, although measurable, increases of HIV RNA plasma levels consistent with its ability to promote in vitro active viral replication. On the contrary, HIV DNA levels remained stable, suggesting that the viral reservoir was not substantially modified after the administration of the cytokine.…”