High frequency of CD4+FoxP3+ cells in HTLV-1 infection: inverse correlation with HTLV-1-specific CTL response.
Evidence from population genetics, gene expression microarrays, and assays of ex vivo T-cell function indicates that the cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response to human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) controls the level of HTLV-1 expression and the proviral load. The rate at which CTLs kill autologous HTLV-1-infected lymphocytes differs significantly among infected people, but the reasons for such variation are unknown. Here, we demonstrate a strong negative cor-relation between the frequency of CD4(+)FoxP3(+) Tax(-) regulatory T cells (T(regs)) in the circulation and the rate of CTL-mediated lysis of autologous HTLV-1-infected cells ex vivo. We propose that the frequency of CD4(+)FoxP3(+) Tax(-) T(regs) is one of the chief determinants of the efficiency of T cell-mediated immune control of HTLV-1.
Toulza
Frederic
F
Department of Immunology, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom.
Heaps
Adrian
A
Tanaka
Yuetsu
Y
Taylor
Graham P
GP
Bangham
Charles R M
CR
D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors