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.
Kalams
S A
SA
Partners AIDS Research Center and Infectious Disease Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. kalams@helix.mgh.harvard.edu
Buchbinder
S P
SP
Rosenberg
E S
ES
Billingsley
J M
JM
Colbert
D S
DS
Jones
N G
NG
Shea
A K
AK
Trocha
A K
AK
Walker
B D
BD
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