Integrated Transcriptomic Profiling of Rectal and Adipose HIV-1 Reservoirs Relative to Matched PBMCs in ART-Treated Individuals

HIV-1 persistence in anatomical reservoirs remains a major obstacle to a functional cure under suppressive antiretroviral therapy. This study used bulk RNA-seq to characterize host transcriptomic features across matched peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), rectal tissue, and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) from ART-treated people with HIV. Transcriptomic profiling revealed tissue-specific remodeling in rectal and adipose reservoirs relative to matched PBMCs, including extracellular matrix remodeling, immunometabolic alterations, and shared PI3K-Akt-related transcriptional features.