title: Bulk culture levels of specific cytotoxic T-cell activity against HIV-1 proteins are not associated with risk of death.
abstract: The ability of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) to control and influence the outcome of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is not fully understood. The association between HIV-CTL activity and disease progression was evaluated prospectively in 36 HIV-1-infected individuals with a median follow-up of 3.0 years. HIV-CTL activity was measured in a 4 h Cr* release assay using autologous target cells expressing HIV-1 BRU isolate gene products (gp-120, gag, pol, nef) and a bulk culture of autologous effector cells. The CD4 count was measured at enrolment and plasma HIV RNA was measured retrospectively. The present study failed to support the hypothesis that HIV-CTL activity, as measured using the present method, is important in reducing the risk of death in HIV-infected individuals. However, using other approaches and methods could possibly yield other conclusions, and further prospective studies are needed to examine the relationship between CTL and disease progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Rigshospitalet, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aladdin
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ullum
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Lepri
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Leffers
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katzenstein
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gerstoft
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Gjedde
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Skinhøj
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Pedersen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000276:immunology; D015693:Gene Products, nef / Q000276:immunology; D015684:Gene Products, pol / Q000276:immunology; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D015683:Gene Products, gag; D015693:Gene Products, nef; D015684:Gene Products, pol; D015488:HIV Antigens; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D012367:RNA, Viral; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus