title: Influence of HIV infection on cytomegalovirus-specific immunity: T-cell responses to pp65 and IE1 before and after HAART may reflect altered cytomegalovirus biology.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Data are inconclusive whether treatment with HAART induces functional recovery of HIV-specific T-cells. Since the introduction of HAART, a marked decrease of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease - for which untreated HIV-infected individuals are at increased risk - is observed, suggesting that this treatment influences CMV-specific T-cell immunity.
  
  
  METHODS
  To study potential functional recovery of HIV- and CMV-specific T-cells, CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell responses were measured longitudinally after in vitro expansion using gag, pp65 and IE1 peptide pools, during HIV infection and after long-term HAART.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HIV-specific T-cell function, measured by interferon (IFN)-γ production, was low after initiation of HAART. Interestingly, the cytotoxic function - measured by CD107a expression - of these T-cells temporarily increased after start of treatment, suggesting some functional recovery. The pp65-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses tended to decrease during HIV infection, whereas pp65-specific CD4(+) T-cell responses decreased upon treatment with HAART. Both pp65-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell responses were low after initiation of HAART compared to healthy controls. By contrast, IE1-specific CD4(+) T-cell responses increased during the course of HIV infection. After initiation of HAART, IE1-specific T-cell responses decreased, but IE1-specific CD8(+) T-cells seemed increased compared to healthy controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that HIV-infection leads to an altered CMV biology, affecting pp65- and IE1-specific T-cell responses in a different way, which is not restored by treatment with long-term HAART.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jolanda
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scherrenburg
authors.forename: Ingrid Mm
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Schellens
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van Baarle
mesh_terms: D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: C088645:IE1 protein, cytomegalovirus; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; C065418:cytomegalovirus matrix protein 65kDa