HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses to HXB2 Gag and Nef peptide pools in Chinese HIV/AIDS patients.
HXB2 is primarily used as a template strain in developing HIV vaccines in Europe and the US. However, it is not yet known whether the strain can induce strong HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses in Chinese HIV/AIDS patients. In the present study, two groups of subjects were investigated: 9 AIDS patients and 7 long-term nonprogressors (LTNPs). HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses were examined in all patients through the ELISPOT assay. CD4+ T cell counts, CD8+ T cell counts, viral load and HIV subtype of each patient were also measured. Thailand B virus strain was identified among all the patients. The breadth and magnitude of HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses in the LTNPs group are greater than those in the AIDS group (P<0.01). There is a positive correlation between magnitude of HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses and CD4+ T cells, and a negative correlation between HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses and mean viral load. In summary, the HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses to the HXB2 Gag and Nef peptide pools are considerable in Chinese HIV/AIDS patients infected with Thailand B virus strain. HIV-1 vaccines based on HXB2 strain that can induce extensive immunity may be helpful for Chinese.
Zhang
HongWei
H
Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China.
Qiu
ZhiFeng
Z
Jiao
Yang
Y
Wang
AiXia
A
Li
TaiSheng
T
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D044466:Asian People; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002681:China; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D020276:HIV Long-Term Survivors; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology
D012367:RNA, Viral; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C514837:nef protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1