Distribution of functional HIV-specific CD8 T lymphocytes between blood and secondary lymphoid organs after 8-18 months of antiretroviral therapy in acutely infected patients.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether drug-induced suppression of the plasma viral load is associated with selective differential distribution of virus-specific CD8 T cells between the blood and secondary lymphoid organs.


METHODS
HIV-specific CD8 T lymphocyte responses were quantified in matched peripheral blood and lymph node samples from seven patients starting treatment shortly after infection, who received antiretroviral therapy (ART) for a median of 14 months. Cells recovered from samples were subjected to IFN-gamma ELISPOT analysis. A series of synthetic peptides corresponding to previously characterized cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes restricted by HLA I molecules present in each patient were used as antigens, together with appropriate positive and negative controls.


RESULTS
HIV-specific CD8 T lymphocyte responses were found in six of the seven patients. The observed frequencies of HIV-specific CD8 T lymphocytes and the pattern of epitope recognition was identical within the two compartments. These results also confirm the observation that functional HIV-specific CD8 T cells are preserved on ART in most patients initiating treatment at the time of primary HIV-1 infection.


CONCLUSIONS
This investigation demonstrated that patterns of antigenic immunodominance as well as frequencies of HIV-specific CD8 T lymphocytes are similar in blood and lymphoid tissue compartments in HIV-infected individuals. These findings support current approaches to the identification of HIV-specific CD8 T lymphocyte reactivity based on leukocytes isolated from blood even in patients with ART-induced suppression of viral load.
Oxenius
A
A
Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK. annette.oxenius@ndm.ox.ac.uk
Yerly
S
S
Ramirez
E
E
Phillips
R E
RE
Price
D A
DA
Perrin
L
L
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000276:immunology*; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013997:Time Factors
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D006680:HLA Antigens; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors