Increased expression of CDKN1A/p21 in HIV-1 controllers is correlated with upregulation of ZC3H12A/MCPIP1

Abstract Background Some multifunctional cellular proteins, as the monocyte chemotactic protein-induced protein 1 (ZC3H12A/MCPIP1) and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor CDKN1A/p21, are able to modulate the cellular susceptibility to the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Several studies showed that CDKN1A/p21 is expressed at high levels ex vivo in cells from individuals who naturally control HIV-1 replication (HIC) and a recent study supports a coordinate regulation of ZC3H12A/MCPIP1 and CDKN1A/p21 transcripts in a model of renal carcinoma cells. Here, we explored the potential associations between mRNA expression of ZC3H12A/MCPIP1 and CDKN1A/p21 in HIC sustaining undetectable (elite controllers–EC) or low (viremic controllers–VC) viral loads. Results We found a selective upregulation of ZC3H12A/MCPIP1 and CDKN1A/p21 mRNA levels in PBMC from HIC compared with both ART–suppressed and HIV–negative control groups (P≤ 0.02) and higher MCPIP1 and p21 proteins levels in HIC than in HIV-1 negative subjects. There was a moderate positive correlation (r ≥ 0.57; P ≤ 0.014) between expressions of both transcripts in HIC and in HIC combined with control groups. We found positive correlations between the mRNA level of CDKN1A/p21 with activated CD4+ T cells levels in HIC (r ≥ 0.53; P ≤ 0.017) and between the mRNA levels of both CDKN1A/p21 (r = 0.74; P = 0.005) and ZC3H12A/MCPIP1 (r = 0.58; P = 0.040) with plasmatic levels of sCD14 in EC. Reanalysis of published transcriptomic data confirmed the positive association between ZC3H12A/MCPIP1 and CDKN1A/p21 mRNA levels in CD4+ T cells and monocytes from disparate cohorts of HIC and other HIV-positive control groups. Conclusions These data show for the first time the simultaneous upregulation of ZC3H12A/MCPIP1 and CDKN1A/p21 transcripts in the setting of natural suppression of HIV-1 replication in vivo and the positive correlation of the expression of these cellular factors in disparate cohorts of HIV-positive individuals. The existence of a common regulatory pathway connecting ZC3H12A/MCPIP1 and CDKN1A/p21 could have a synergistic effect on HIV-1 replication control and pharmacological manipulation of these multifunctional host factors may open novel therapeutic perspectives to prevent HIV-1 replication and disease progression.