Racial differences in α4β7 expression on CD4⁺ T cells of HIV-negative men and women who inject drugs

Introduction We performed a cross-sectional study of HIV-uninfected men and women who inject drugs from the ALIVE cohort to examine if black men and women who inject drugs have higher levels of CD4⁺ T cells expressing the integrin heterodimer α4β7 compared to white men and women. Materials and methods Flow cytometry was used to examine expression of α4β7 and other markers associated with different functional CD4⁺ T cell subsets in both men and women who inject drugs. Results Higher levels of α4β7, CCR5, and CCR6 were observed on CD4⁺ T cells from black participants compared with white participants. In a multivariable model, α4β7 expression differed by race, but not sex, age, or other factors. Discussion Black men and women express higher percentages of α4β7 expressing CD4⁺ T cells, which may play a role in HIV disease.