[T cell receptor diversity of CD8+ T lymphocytes and its association with viral load in individuals with HIV-1 infection].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the complementary determining region 3 (CDR3) length diversity of T cell receptor Vbeta repertoires of CD8+ T lymphocytes and to explore its association with viral load in individuals with HIV-1 infection.


METHODS
Separation of CD8+ T cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was carried out by using immunomagnetic beads coated with anti-CD8 antibody. Total RNAs from the purified CD8+ T lymphocytes were isolated and used to perform polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifications in CDR3 of 22 T cell receptor (TCR) gene families. CDR3 diversity and its association with viral load in individuals with HIV-1 infection were analyzed.


RESULTS
An average diversity for all CDR3 profiles in CD8+ T cells from 9 HIV-infected individuals was significantly different as compared to 7 age-matched healthy donors (P<0.05) with the HIV-infected individuals losing diversity in the CDR3 profiles. There was positive correlation between changes in TCR CDR3 diversity and viral load (r=0.771, P<0.05). The changes in CDR3 length diversity of Vbeta families in HIV-infected individuals, particular in Vbeta2, Vbeta4, Vbeta5, Vbeta17, Vbeta20, Vbeta21, Vbeta23, Vbeta24, were statistically different from the healthy controls.


CONCLUSIONS
HIV-1 infection might induce the loss of TCR Vbeta repertoire diversity and disrupt the CDR3 distributions within CD8+ T cells. There should be positive correlation between changes in TCR CDR3 diversity and the viral load in HIV-1 infected patients.
Ren
Guo-liang
GL
National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100050, China.
Chen
Jian-ping
JP
Jia
Ming-ming
MM
Kou
Zhong-chen
ZC
Liu
Sha
S
Ma
Peng-fei
PF
Shao
Yi-ming
YM
Hong
Kun-xue
KX
D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D019562:Viral Load
D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell