Monoclonal antibody-assisted stimulation of adenosine A2A receptors induces simultaneous downregulation of CXCR4 and CCR5 on CD4+ T-cells.

Immunocompetent cells express various G-protein-coupled receptors that transduce extracellular signals across the plasma membrane. Among them, CXCR4 and CCR5 chemokines receptors and adenosine A(2A) receptors (A(2A)R) are involved in inflammatory processes. Considering that A(2A)R activation may have incidence on CXCR4 and CCR5 protein expression through heterologous desensitization process, we tested Adonis, an agonist-like monoclonal antibody to A(2A)R on CD4+ CEM T-cells. We found that Adonis inhibited the CEM cell growth, upregulated A(2A)R and downregulated CXCR4 and CCR5 without modifying the CD4 expression. By reducing the expression of CXCR4 and CCR5 chemokines receptors utilized as entry co-receptors by HIV-1 during viral infection of CD4 expressing cells, Adonis stimulation of A(2A)R appears as a valuable means to treat infected cells.