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 A2A receptors (A2AR) are involved in inflammatory processes. Considering that A2AR activation may have incidence on CXCR4 and CCR5 protein expression through heterologous desensitization process, we tested Adonis, an agonist-like monoclonal antibody to A2AR on CD4+ CEM T-cells. We found that Adonis inhibited the CEM cell growth, upregulated A2AR 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 A2AR appears as a valuable means to treat infected cells.