Interactive association of proviral load and IFN-gamma-secreting T cell responses in HIV-1C infection.
We investigated the interactive relationship between proviral DNA load and virus-specific IFN-gamma-secreting T cell responses in HIV-1C infection. The presence or absence of correlation, and inverse or direct type of correlation, if any, were dependent on targeted viral gene product. Responses to Gag p24 or to Pol were associated with lower proviral DNA load. Associations between proviral DNA load and T cell responses did not necessarily mirror relationships between plasma RNA load and T cell responses. An interaction analysis showed a synergy in that lower proviral DNA and lower plasma RNA load were associated with high Gag p24-specific IFN-gamma-secreting T cell response (interaction test P = 0.0003). Our findings support the idea that HIV proteins have differential value for vaccine design, and suggest that, for HIV-1C, Gag p24 may be one of the most attractive regions to include in vaccine designs to control both plasma RNA load and cell-associated proviral DNA load.
Novitsky
Vladimir A
VA
Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, FXB-402, 651 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Gilbert
Peter B
PB
Shea
Kimberly
K
McLane
Mary F
MF
Rybak
Natasha
N
Klein
Ilyana
I
Thior
Ibou
I
Ndung'u
Thumbi
T
Lee
Tun-Hou
TH
Essex
Myron E
ME
D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D011533:Proviruses / Q000502:physiology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D019562:Viral Load
D004279:DNA, Viral; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D012367:RNA, Viral; D007371:Interferon-gamma