Association between virus-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte and helper responses in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection.
Cellular immune responses are thought to be an important antiviral host defense, but the relationship between virus-specific T-helper and cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses has not been defined. To investigate a potential link between these responses, we examined functional human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-specific memory CTL precursor frequencies and p24-specific proliferative responses in a cohort of infected untreated persons with a wide range of viral loads and CD4 cell counts. Levels of p24-specific proliferative responses positively correlated with levels of Gag-specific CTL precursors and negatively correlated with levels of plasma HIV-1 RNA. These data linking the levels of HIV-specific CTL with virus-specific helper cell function during chronic viral infection provide cellular immunologic parameters to guide therapeutic and prophylactic vaccine development.
Partners AIDS Research Center and Infectious Disease Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. kalams@helix.mgh.harvard.edu
S A
SA
Kalams
S P
SP
Buchbinder
E S
ES
Rosenberg
J M
JM
Billingsley
D S
DS
Colbert
N G
NG
Jones
A K
AK
Shea
A K
AK
Trocha
B D
BD
Walker
D002455:Cell Division; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000276:immunology; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*; D014766:Viremia
D015683:Gene Products, gag; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24