Persistent antibody responses but declining cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses to multiple human immunodeficiency virus type 1 antigens in a long-term nonprogressing individual with a defective p17 proviral sequence and no detectable viral RNA expression.
Long-term nonprogressor AD-18 has been infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) for at least 16 years. During the past 5 years, he has had undetectable levels of plasma viremia, and HIV-1 cannot be isolated from him. Sequencing of proviral DNA indicates that the only HIV-1 sequences that can be identified in AD-18 have gross defects in the p17-encoding regions of the gag gene (Y. Huang, L. Zhang, and D. D. Ho, Virology 240:36-49, 1998). However, AD-18 has strong, sustained antibody responses to several HIV-1 antigens, including p17. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses to Env and Gag antigens have gradually diminished over the past 4 years, at a time when the titers of antibodies to the same proteins have remained stable. We discuss what these observations might mean for the generation and maintenance of immunological memory.
Binley
J M
JM
The Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10016, USA.
Jin
X
X
Huang
Y
Y
Zhang
L
L
Cao
Y
Y
Ho
D D
DD
Moore
J P
JP
D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018450:Disease Progression; D015870:Gene Expression; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000276:immunology; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000276:immunology; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011533:Proviruses / Q000235:genetics; D012367:RNA, Viral; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D017741:Survivors; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014764:Viral Proteins; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
D015686:Gene Products, env; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015488:HIV Antigens; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C054858:p17 protein, Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1