NK cells are pivotal sentinels of the innate immune system and distinct subpopulations in peripheral blood have been described. A number of studies addressed HIV-induced alterations of NK cell phenotype and functionality mainly focusing on CD56(dim)CD16⁺ and CD56⁻CD16⁺ NK cells. However, the impact of HIV-infection on CD56(bright) NK cells is less well understood. Here we report a rise of CD56(bright) NK cells in HIV-infected individuals, which lack CCR7-expression and strongly correlate with HIV viral load. CCR7⁻CD56(bright) NK cells were characterized by increased cytolytic potential, higher activation states and a more differentiated phenotype. These cells thus acquired a number of features of CD56(dim)CD16⁺ NK cells. Furthermore, CD56(bright) NK cells from HIV patients exhibited higher degranulation levels compared to uninfected individuals. Thus, chronic HIV-infection is associated with a phenotypic and functional shift of CD56(bright) NK cells, which provides a novel aspect of HIV-associated pathogenesis within the NK cell compartment.
