Interferon Alpha Enhances NK Cell Function and the Suppressive Capacity of HIV-Specific CD8⁺T Cells

Data suggest that HIV + individuals unable to control infection fail to do so due to impaired cytokine production and/cytotoxic effector cell function. Consequently, the success of cure agendas such as the shock-and-kill strategy will probably depend on enhancing patient effector cell function. In this regard, NK cells are of particular interest since they complement the function of CD8 + T cells. Here, we demonstrate the ability of short-course alpha interferon (IFN-α) treatments to effectively enhance such effector functions in chronic progressor NK cells without inhibiting their general CD8 + T cell function. These results point to the possibility of exploring such short-course IFN-α treatments for the enhancement of effector cell function in HIV + patients in future cure strategies.