title: Dynamic correlation between CTL response and viral load in primary human immunodeficiency virus-1 infected Koreans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  HIV-1 specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) have an important role as antiviral effector cells for controlling HIV-1 infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  To investigate CTL response during the early stage of HIV infection, we measured immunity-related factors including CD4+ T cell counts, CD8+ T cell counts, HIV-1 RNA viral loads and IFN-γ secretion according to CTL response in 78 selected primary HIV-1-infected Koreans.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CTL response was strongly induced by HIV-1 specific Gag and Nef peptides (p = 0.016) compared with induction by Tat or Env peptides. These results suggest that the major antiviral factors inducing strong HIV-specific CTL responses are associated with the Gag and Nef viral regions in primary HIV-1 infected Koreans. The relationship between viral load and CTL response showed varying correlations with time following HIV infection. CTL response was inversely correlated with viral loads at preseroconversion stage I (r = -0.224 to -0.33) and changed to a positive correlation at the preseroconversion stage II (r = 0.132 to 0.854). Finally, it changed to an inverse correlation again after seroconversion until a viral set point was established on serological profiling (r = -0.195 to -0.407).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings demonstrate a dynamic correlation between viral load and subsequent CTL responses during early HIV infection.
authors.affiliation: Division of AIDS, Center for Immunology and Pathology, Korea National Institute of Health, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Gab Jung
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hak Sung
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kee-Jong
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Sung Soon
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D007371:Interferon-gamma