Jose M Benito

Publications (4)30.37 Total impact

• Article: Interleukin-28B gene polymorphisms do not influence the susceptibility to HIV-infection or CD4 cell decline.

  Norma I Rallon, Clara Restrepo, Susanna Naggie, Mariola Lopez, Jorge Del Romero, David Goldstein, John McHutchison, Vincent Soriano, Jose M Benito
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  ABSTRACT: The critical role of interleukin-28B (IL28B)/interferon-λ3 (IFN-λ3) polymorphisms on the susceptibility to hepatitis C virus infection and the response to peginterferon-ribavirin therapy has encouraged exploration of similar effects on other viruses. Given that IFN-λ mediates anti-HIV-1 activity, the protective role of IL28B polymorphisms was examined in 29 seronegative individuals at risk for HIV-infection and in 68 HIV-positive carriers with and without rapid progression of immunodeficiency. No protective role of IL28B polymorphism was found examining both HIV-disease progression and HIV-protection.
  AIDS (London, England) 01/2011; 25(2):269-71. · 4.91 Impact Factor
• Article: Influence of human T cell lymphotropic virus type 2 coinfection on virological and immunological parameters in HIV type 1-infected patients.

  Sylvina Bassani, Mariola López, Carlos Toro, Victoria Jiménez, José M Sempere, Vincent Soriano, Jose M Benito
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  ABSTRACT: Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 2 (HTLV-2) infection is not rare among injection drug users with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and may exert a protective role in the progression of HIV disease. Immunological and virological parameters were compared in HIV-HTLV-2-coinfected patients and a control group of HIV-monoinfected subjects. All individuals were antiretroviral therapy naive. HIV-specific CD8+ T cell levels were measured using an interferon-gamma assay in response to 125 optimally defined HIV peptides divided into 5 pools. Immune activation was evaluated by measuring levels of CD38 in different CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets. In a subgroup of patients, the production of CCL4 in parallel with interferon-gamma was assessed in response to Gag peptides. Lower plasma HIV-RNA levels were found in HIV-HTLV-2-coinfected patients than in HIV-monoinfected patients, despite the 2 groups having similar CD4+ T cell counts. Coinfected patients also had significantly lower levels of CD38 expression in total CD8+ T cells and in its naive subset. CD8+ T cell levels specific for each pool of peptides were similar in both groups, but cells mainly contributing to HIV Gag-specific responses in coinfected patients were CCL4 positive and interferon-gamma negative, whereas for HIV-monoinfected subjects, the response was dominated by CCL4-positive and interferon-gamma-positive cells. HTLV-2 coinfection may exert a protective role on HIV disease progression by lowering HIV replication and immune activation. A predominance of CCL4 single positive HIV-specific CD8+ T cells in HIV-HTLV-2-coinfected patients could explain this effect.
  Clinical Infectious Diseases 02/2007; 44(1):105-10. · 9.15 Impact Factor
• Article: HIV nonprogressors preferentially maintain highly functional HIV-specific CD8+ T cells.

  Michael R Betts, Martha C Nason, Sadie M West, Stephen C De Rosa, Stephen A Migueles, Jonathan Abraham, Michael M Lederman, Jose M Benito, Paul A Goepfert, Mark Connors, Mario Roederer, Richard A Koup
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  ABSTRACT: Establishing a CD8(+) T cell-mediated immune correlate of protection in HIV disease is crucial to the development of vaccines designed to generate cell-mediated immunity. Historically, neither the quantity nor breadth of the HIV-specific CD8(+) T-cell response has correlated conclusively with protection. Here, we assess the quality of the HIV-specific CD8(+) T-cell response by measuring 5 CD8(+) T-cell functions (degranulation, IFN-gamma, MIP-1beta, TNF-alpha, and IL-2) simultaneously in chronically HIV-infected individuals and elite nonprogressors. We find that the functional profile of HIV-specific CD8(+) T cells in progressors is limited compared to that of nonprogressors, who consistently maintain highly functional CD8(+) T cells. This limited functionality is independent of HLA type and T-cell memory phenotype, is HIV-specific rather than generalized, and is not effectively restored by therapeutic intervention. Whereas the total HIV-specific CD8(+) T-cell frequency did not correlate with viral load, the frequency and proportion of the HIV-specific T-cell response with highest functionality inversely correlated with viral load in the progressors. Thus, rather than quantity or phenotype, the quality of the CD8(+) T-cell functional response serves as an immune correlate of HIV disease progression and a potential qualifying factor for evaluation of HIV vaccine efficacy.
  Blood 07/2006; 107(12):4781-9. · 9.90 Impact Factor
• Article: CD4+ T cell recovery beyond the first year of complete suppression of viral replication during highly active antiretroviral therapy is not influenced by CD8+ T cell activation.

  Jose M Benito, Mariola Lopez, Sara Lozano, Celia Ballesteros, Laura Capa, Pilar Martinez, Juan Gonzalez-Lahoz, Vincent Soriano
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  ABSTRACT: CD38 expression on CD8(+) T cells was longitudinally assessed in 31 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons with undetectable plasma viremia who had undergone highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for 12 months and were followed for a mean of 30 months thereafter. Overall, CD4(+)T cell counts increased during follow-up, whereas CD38 expression remained stable. However, a subset of patients showed declines in CD38 expression, and, conversely, another subset showed increases in CD38 expression. No association could be found between long-term gains in CD4(+) T cells and evolution of CD38 expression. Thus, activation of CD8(+) T cells does not seem to be associated with the extent of CD4(+) T cell recovery beyond the first year of successful HAART.
  The Journal of Infectious Diseases 01/2006; 192(12):2142-6. · 6.41 Impact Factor