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HIV Biology and Variability

Líneas de investigación

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The Immunobiology group has been working for years on the following lines of research:
1) The mechanisms of haematopoietic cell generation throughout ontogeny and the influence that the first haematopoietic cells exert on the innate and adaptive immune system present in the adults. We have identified and characterised a new population of B lymphocytes called B1-Rel (B220lo), which produce high levels of natural IgG/IgA antibodies. We sought to understand their role in the immune response in animal models of infection, analysing their impact on immune cell populations and on the production of soluble mediators (cytokines and immunoglobulins). In this regard, we have evaluated the generation of embryonic megakaryocytes (and their differentiation niches), their functionality and that of platelets, and their influence on haematopoietic development. For lymphoid populations, we have carried out extensive characterisation by flow cytometry and single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) methodology. To carry out these cellomic studies, we have designed complex panels for use in multiparametric phenotypic analysis, and single cell cytometry and RNAseq omics technologies on purified cell populations.


In parallel, we are interested in understanding local immune responses in respiratory infections at times of particular susceptibility due to the fragility of the immune system (childhood and old age), both in mouse animal models, which allow their manipulation, and in humans. 

2) Mouse models studied during neonatal life, in which we evaluated the effect of antibiotic (AB) treatment and addressed the role of TLR receptors in innate, pseudo-innate and adaptive immune cell populations. In these models, we observed that AB administration was able to modulate B-lymphoid populations, as well as their ability to secrete proinflammatory cytokines in culture and their differentiation into plasma cells, with differentiated immunoglobulin repertoires. Furthermore. These effects were mediated through the Toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2).

3) Mouse models with accelerated senescence (SAMP8) and senescent animals (over 20 months of age) to map lymphoid populations and soluble mediators of the immune response (immunoglobulins and cytokines). In these models, the B lymphoid populations (B1Rel and marginal zone B lymphocytes) are observed to be altered, accompanied by an increase in IgG1 with great restriction of their VDJ repertoires.


4) Role of the B1Rel population in animal models of local or systemic infection. We analysed the response to Streptoccoccus pneumoniae (SPN) locally in the lung and systemically in the spleen, as well as the role of TLR4 in these responses.

5) In humans, we are studying immune responses in children with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) viral primo-infection. In this case we studied the immune response that occurs locally in the nasal mucosa (by analysis of nasal washings, NW) in a cohort of infected children versus healthy controls, stratified by age. We found that lymphomyeloid cells accumulate in these nasal washings in patients with diverse lymphocyte populations, as well as cytokines and immunoglobulins.

6) Analysis and characterisation of extracellular vesicles produced during respiratory infection both in lung supernatants from models of SPN infection and in LN in the case of children with RSV infection.

7) In parallel, we carry out studies of the genetic rearrangements of immunoglobulins and their use in the generation of chimeric receptors for possible use in immunotherapy.

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Publicaciones destacadas

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Characterization of an enhanced antigenic change in the pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza virus haemagglutinin

Garcia-Barreno B, Delgado T, Benito S, Casas I, Pozo F, Cuevas MT, et al. Characterization of an enhanced antigenic change in the pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza virus haemagglutinin. J Gen Virol. 2014;95(Pt 5):1033-42.

PUBMED DOI

Epidemic history of hepatitis C virus genotypes and subtypes in Portugal.

Palladino C, Ezeonwumelu IJ, Marcelino R, Briz V, Moranguinho I, Serejo F, Velosa JF, Tato Marinho R, Borrego P, Taveira N. 2018. Epidemic history of hepatitis C virus genotypes and subtypes in Portugal. Sci Rep. 2018; 8:12266. (A; FI= 4.12; Q1 Multidisciplinary Sciences; DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-30528-0).

PUBMED DOI

Low frequency of NS5A relevant resistance-associated substitutions to Elbasvir among hepatitis C virus genotype 1a in Spain: a cross-sectional study.

Palladino C, Sanchez-Carrillo M, Mate-Cano I, Vazquez-Morón S, Jiménez-Sousa MA, Gutiérrez-Rivas M, Resino S, Briz V. Low frequency of NS5A relevant resistance-associated substitutions to Elbasvir among hepatitis C virus genotype 1a in Spain: a cross-sectional study. Sci Rep. 2017; 7(1):2892. (A; FI= 4.12; Q1 Multidisciplinary Sciences).

PUBMED DOI

Plasma miRNA profile at COVID-19 onset predicts severity status and mortality.

Fernández-Pato A; Virseda-Berdices A, Ryan P; Martínez-González O, Peréz-García F, Resino S, Martin-Vicente M, Valle-Millares D, Brochado-Kith O; Blancas R; Ceballos FC; Bartolome-Sánchez S; Vidal-Alcántara EJ; Alonso-Menchén D, Blanca-López N; Ramirez Martinez-Acitores I, Rava M, Jiménez-Sousa MA (‡ *), Amanda Fernández-Rodríguez (‡ *). Plasma miRNA profile at COVID-19 onset predicts severity status and mortality. Emerg Microbes Infect 2022; 11(1):676-688 (A; FI= 19.57; D1, Infectious Diseases; JCR 2021).

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Mild profile improvement of immune biomarkers in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who removed hepatitis C after HCV treatment: a prospective study.

García-Broncano P, Medrano LM, Berenguer J, Brochado O, González-García J, Jiménez-Sousa MA, Quereda C, Sanz J, Téllez MJ, Díaz L, Jiménez JL, Muñoz-Fernández MA, Resino S (*). Mild profile improvement of immune biomarkers in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who removed hepatitis C after HCV treatment: a prospective study. J Infect 2020; 80(1):99-110. (A; FI= 6.07; Q1, Infectious Diseases; JCR 2020).

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Efficacy of DNA amplification in tissue biopsy samples to improve the detection of invasive fungal disease

Buitrago MJ, Aguado JM, Ballen A, Bernal-Martinez L, Prieto M, Garcia-Reyne A, Garcia-Rodriguez J, Rodriguez-Tudela JL, Cuenca-Estrella M. Efficacy of DNA amplification in tissue biopsy samples to improve the detection of invasive fungal disease. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2013 Jun;19(6):E271-7. doi: 10.1111/1469-0691.12110. Epub 2013 Mar 7. PMID: 23464751.

PUBMED DOI

Unintended HIV-1 Infection During Analytical Therapy Interruption

Ugarte A, Romero Y, Tricas A, Casado C, Lopez-Galindez C, Garcia F, Leal L. J Infect Dis. 2020 Apr 27,221(10):1740-1742.

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Potent Induction of Envelope-Specific Antibody Responses by Virus-Like Particle Immunogens Based on HIV-1 Envelopes from Patients with Early Broadly Neutralizing Responses

Beltran-Pavez C, Bontjer I, Gonzalez N, Pernas M, Merino-Mansilla A, Olvera A, Miro JM, Brander C, Alcami J, Sanders RW, Sanchez-Merino V, Yuste E. J Virol. 2022 Jan 12, 96(1): e0134321

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HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins isolated from Viremic Non-Progressor individuals are fully functional and cytopathic

Cabrera-Rodríguez R, Hebmann V, Marfil S, Pernas M, Marrero-Hernández S, Cabrera C, Urrea V, Casado C, Olivares I, Márquez-Arce D, Pérez-Yanes S, Estévez-Herrera J, Clotet B, Espert L, López-Galíndez C, Biard-Piechaczyk M, Valenzuela-Fernández A, Blanco J. Sci Rep. 2019 Apr 3,9(1):5544

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Viral Characteristics Associated with the Clinical Nonprogressor Phenotype Are Inherited by Viruses from a Cluster of HIV-1 Elite Controllers

Casado C, Marrero-Hernández S, Márquez-Arce D, Pernas M, Marfil S, Borràs-Grañana F, Olivares I, Cabrera-Rodríguez R, Valera MS, de Armas-Rillo L, Lemey P, Blanco J, Valenzuela-Fernández A, Lopez-Galíndez C. mBio. 2018 Apr 10,9(2): e02338-17

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Viral and Cellular Factors Leading to the Loss of CD4 Homeostasis in HIV-1 Viremic Nonprogressors.

Colomer-Lluch M, Kilpelainen A, Pernas M, Peña R, Ouchi D, Jimenez-Moyano E, Dalmau J, Casado C, López-Galíndez C, Clotet B, Martinez-Picado J, Prado JG. J Virol. 2022 Jan 12, 96(1): e0149921. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01499-21. Epub 2021 Oct 20.

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Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Two-Long Terminal Repeat Circles: A Subject for Debate

Olivares I, Pernas M, Casado C, López-Galindez C. AIDS Rev. 2016 Jan-Mar,18(1):23-31

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Improved antibody cross-neutralizing activity in HIV-1 dual double infected LTNP patients.

María Pernas, Concepción Casado, Victor Sanchez-Merino, Alberto Merino-Mansilla, Isabel Olivares, Eloisa Yuste, Cecilio Lopez-Galindez. (2015) PLoS One. Aug 10; 10 (8):e0134054

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Contribution of the HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein to AIDS Pathogenesis and Clinical Progression

Valenzuela-Fernández A, Cabrera-Rodríguez R, Casado C, Pérez-Yanes S, Pernas M, García-Luis J, Marfil S, Olivares I, Estévez-Herrera J, Trujillo-González R, Blanco J, Lopez-Galindez C. Biomedicines. 2022 Sep 2,10(9):2172.

PUBMED DOI

Prevalence of HIV-1 dual infection in LTNP-Elite Controllers

María Pernas, Concepción Casado, Virginia Sandonis, Carolina Arcones, Carmen Rodríguez , Ezequiel Ruiz-Mateos , Eva Ramírez de Arellano , Norma Rallón , Margarita Del Val , Eulalia Grau, Mariola López-Vazquez , Manuel Leal , Jorge del Romero , Cecilio López Galíndez . (2013). J.of AIDS. 64, 3, 225-231. IF 4.262

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A Genome-to-Genome Analysis of Associations between Human Genetic Variation, HIV-1 Sequence Diversity, and Retroviral Control.

Istvan Bartha Jonathan M Carlson, Chanson J Brumme, Paul J McLaren, Zabrina L Brumme, Mina John, David W Haas, Javier Martinez-Picado, Cecilio López Galíndez, Andri Rauch, Huldrych F Günthard, Enos Bernasconi, Pietro Vernazza, Thomas Klimkait, Sabine Yerly, Jennifer Listgarten, Nico Pfeifer, Zoltan Kutalik, Todd M Allen, Viktor Müller, P Richard Harrigan, David Heckerman, Amalio Telenti, and Jacques Fellay, for the HIV Genome-to-Genome Study and the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. (2013). Elife. 2013;2:e01123

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Characterizing the antiviral effect of an ATR inhibitor on human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication

Docando F, Casado C, Pernas M, Mota-Biosca A, López-Galíndez C, Olivares I. Arch Virol. 2020 Mar, 165(3):683-690

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HIV-1 Dual Infected LTNP-EC Patients Developed an Unexpected Antibody Cross-Neutralizing Activity

Pernas M, Sanchez-Merino V, Casado C, Merino-Mansilla A, Olivares I, Yuste E, Lopez-Galindez C. PLoS One. 2015 Aug 10,10(8): e0134054

PUBMED DOI

Factors Leading to the Loss of Natural Elite Control of HIV-1 Infection

Pernas M, Tarancón-Diez L, Rodríguez-Gallego E, Gómez J, Prado JG, Casado C, Dominguez-Molina B, Olivares I, Coiras M, León A, Rodriguez C, Benito JM, Rallón N, Plana M, Martinez-Madrid O, Dapena M, Iribarren JA, Del Romero J, García F, Alcamí J, Muñoz-Fernández M, Vidal F, Leal M, Lopez-Galindez C, Ruiz-Mateos E. J Virol. 2018 Feb 12,92(5): e01805-17

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Elite controllers and lessons learned for HIV-1 cure

Lopez-Galindez C, Pernas M, Casado C, Olivares I, Lorenzo-Redondo R. Curr Opin Virol. 2019 Oct, 38:31-36

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List of staff

Información adicional

The activities of the HIV viral and biology unit (UBVVIH) include research, service to the National Health System (NHS) and the administration of Justice and teaching. Its main lines of research are molecular epidemiology and HIV-1 phylogeny, in which the UBVVIH has carried out numerous national and international collaborations, focusing on the identification of viral genetic forms and the study of their correlations with epidemiological variables. Related lines are phylodynamics and phylogeography, which study the origin and dynamics of growth and spread of HIV-1 variants. Such studies can be used to better understand the evolution of the epidemic and to plan public health actions. 

The UBVHIV also produces and characterises primary isolates and functional clones of the envelope of various genetic forms of HIV-1, which are deposited in repositories and used by numerous international groups. Other lines of research are described in the corresponding section. In terms of service to the NHS, the UBVVIH carries out antiretroviral resistance tests and prediction of tropism as a therapeutic guide in HIV-1 infected patients. As for its collaboration with the Justice Administration, the UBVVIH carries out expert opinions through phylogenetic studies of sequences for legal cases of possible HIV transmissions.

Content with Investigacion Inmunobiología .