title: CD8 TCR β chain repertoire expansions and deletions are related with immunologic markers in HIV-1-infected patients during treatment interruption.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  HIV-1-infected individuals progressively loss CD4(+) T cells leading to immunosuppression and raising the risk of opportunistic infections. CD8(+) T-cells play an important role in the immune response against virus infections through their TCR.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the CD8-TCR repertoire and immunologic markers in HIV-1-infected patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten chronic HIV-1-infected individuals on prolonged effective antiretroviral treatment (ART) were analyzed at baseline (before treatment interruption), after at least one year of treatment interruption (TI) and after at least one year from ART resume (TR). Twenty-four TCR-Vβ gene families were analyzed by a modified CDR3 spectratyping method in isolated CD8(+) T-cells. Immune activation, exhaustion and subpopulation markers were analyzed by flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Expansion of Vβ10, Vβ14 and Vβ15 families, associated with low cell activation and stable exhaustion markers, were found at TI. Moreover, an increment of effector memory cells was found. Besides, depletion of Vβ20, Vβ28, and Vβ29 families, associated with an increase in cell activation and exhaustion markers, at TI were also found. These alterations seemed to be more pronounced in patients who had longer time from diagnosis. ART seemed to restore altered CD8(+) T-cell repertoire and most of the immunologic markers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During TI (that was more pronounced in patients with longer HIV-1 infection) it was observed the expansion of Vβ families correlated with decreased cell activation, while Vβ families correlated with cell activation and exhaustion were depleted. These specific repertoire alterations reverted after ART resume.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunovirology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Virgen del Rocio, IBIS, Seville 41013, Spain.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González-Serna
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abad-Fernández
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Soriano-Sarabia
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leal
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vallejo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008297:Male; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta
keywords: Antiretroviral treatment interruption; CD8 TCR β repertoire; Effector memory cells; Immune activation; T cell exhaustion