CTL responses to regulatory proteins Tat and Rev in HIV-1 B'/C virus-infected individuals.
OBJECTIVE
To characterize HIV-1 specific CTL responses to regulatory proteins Tat and Rev in HIV-B'/C virus-infected ART-naive individuals.


METHODS
HIV-1-specific CTL responses were analyzed by IFN-gamma ELISPOT assay using overlapping peptides spanning the consensus sequences of HIV-1 clade C Tat and Rev proteins. Statistical analysis and graphical presentation were performed using SIGMAPLOT 10.0 and SIGMASTAT 3.5. For samples with a positive response, the magnitude of CTL responses was compared between HIV-1 C proteins by Wilcoxon rank sum test, and the significance threshold was P<0.05.


RESULTS
Tat and Rev were frequently recognized, with 23% and 52% of the tested individuals having detectable responses to these proteins, respectively. Several immunodominant regions were detected in Rev. No significant correlation was observed between the magnitude and breadth of CTL responses to regulatory proteins and the control of virus replication in this study.


CONCLUSIONS
Tat and Rev can serve as targets for HIV-1-specific CTL, and several immunodominant regions are detectable in Rev. Further characterization of epitopes and their role in virus control may shed light on pathogenesis of HIV-1 natural infection and also be useful for the design and testing of candidate vaccines.
Jia
Ming-Ming
MM
Branch of AIDS, State Key Laboratory for Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control, China.
Hong
Kun-Xue
KX
Chen
Jian-Ping
JP
Liu
Hong-Wei
HW
Liu
Sha
S
Zhang
Xiao-Qing
XQ
Zhao
Hong-Jing
HJ
Shao
Yi-Ming
YM
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D015694:Gene Products, rev / Q000276:immunology*; D015696:Gene Products, tat / Q000276:immunology*; D006678:HIV / Q000502:physiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014779:Virus Replication
D015694:Gene Products, rev; D015696:Gene Products, tat