How HIV evades CTL recognition.
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is unique in its capacity to produce chronic disease in almost all infected hosts. To accomplish this, it has evolved multiple mechanisms to effectively evade the immune response. HIV encodes at least one protein that makes infected cells resistant to CTL killing by downmodulating epitope (peptide plus MHC-I protein) density on the infected cell surface. In addition, HIV encodes several mechanisms to promote apoptosis of HIV-specific CTLs. The end result is that infected cells have a reduced susceptibility to CTLs, survive longer and produce more viral antigenic variants that can further evade the immune response.
Collins
Kathleen L
KL
Department of Internal Medicine, 4301 MSRB III Box 0638, 1150 West Medical Center Drive, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. klcollin@umich.edu
D000940:Antigenic Variation / Q000276:immunology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000276:immunology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000276:immunology; D005838:Genotype; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D019562:Viral Load
D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I