Wnt7a mediates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to influence ferroptosis in T lymphocytes of HIV-infected individuals

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is characterized by the depletion of human CD4 + T cells, in which ferroptosis has been identified as a contributing mechanism. Dysregulation of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is strongly associated with HIV infection. Our findings demonstrate that Wnt7a activates this pathway. Subsequently, β-catenin translocates to the nucleus, where it interacts with the transcription factor 4 (TCF4) to regulate ferroptosis in T lymphocytes from HIV-infected individuals. Analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from HIV-infected individuals revealed significantly decreased expression levels of Wnt7a, along with key Wnt/β-catenin pathway components (β-catenin, TCF4) and the ferroptosis regulator GPX4, compared to healthy controls. Concurrently, PBMCs from HIV-infected individuals exhibited elevated levels of ferroptosis. We established an in vitro HIV-infected T lymphocyte model by expanding patient-derived PBMCs using a CD3/CD28/CD2 T cell activator and IL-2. Lentiviral transduction was used to stably overexpress Wnt7a in this model. Wnt7a overexpression successfully activated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and significantly reduced ferroptosis levels. Furthermore, pharmacological manipulation of ferroptosis modulated Wnt7a expression: treatment with the ferroptosis inhibitor Liproxstatin-1 and Ferrostatin-1 increased Wnt7a expression, while exposure to the ferroptosis inducer RSL-3 decreased it. Flow cytometry analysis confirmed that overexpressing Wnt7a significantly increased the number of CD4 + T cells compared to the control. In summary, Wnt7a activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to reduce ferroptosis in T lymphocytes from HIV-infected individuals, likely by targeting GPX4, suggesting a potential new strategy for treating HIV infection by restoring the T lymphocyte population.