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.
Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China.
HongWei
H
Zhang
ZhiFeng
Z
Qiu
Yang
Y
Jiao
AiXia
A
Wang
TaiSheng
T
Li
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