Study finds IFI27 and IFI6 as potential biomarkers for immune reconstitution in HIV patients

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. No novel biomarkers are currently available for evaluating immune reconstitution among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) receiving combined antiretroviral treatment (cART). This study analyzed the expression patterns of interferon-stimulating genes (ISGs) in PLWH with the aim of identifying potential biomarkers for immune reconstitution.

Study samples were collected from 102 PLWH, including 47 immunological non-responders (INRs) and 58 immunological responders (IRs). The expression of eight ISGs in the peripheral blood in INRs and IRs were detected by RT-qPCR. Expression differences between groups were analyzed with the Mann-Whitney U test, and a logistic regression model was developed to predict immune reconstitution.

Among eight ISGs, the expression levels of IFI27 and IFI6 were significantly higher in INRs than IRs (P=0.001 and 0.005, respectively). The model combining age, CD4⁺ T/CD8⁺ T ratio, IFI27, and IFI6 had the highest diagnostic value (AUC=0.836), with an optimal cut-off value of 0.6, sensitivity of 60.5%, and specificity of 98.1%. No significant change in the expression of IFI27 and IFI6 was observed in samples collected 3 years apart (P=0.1232 and 0.4877, respectively), and the model score negatively correlated with ΔCD4⁺ T cells (r=−0.2888, P=0.0465).

Enhanced expression of IFI27 and IFI6 in INRs are important characteristics that may serve as biomarkers of immune reconstitution after cART. The combination of age, CD4⁺ T/CD8⁺ T ratio, IFI27, and IFI6 was highly effective in discriminating INRs.