title: Multi-layered Gag-specific immunodominant responses contribute to improved viral control in the CRF01_AE subtype of HIV-1-infected MSM subjects.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to characterize specific cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) responses in men who have sex with men (MSM) subjects infected with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) CRF01_AE subtype during the first year of infection and impacts on viral control and evolution.
  
  
  
  Fifteen HIV-1 primary infected cases were recruited from Liaoning MSM prospective cohort. CTL responses to Gag, Pol and Nef proteins at 3 month and 1 year post infection were detected with Gamma interferon enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay using optimized consensus overlapping peptides, as well as the viral quasispecies sequences from the synchronous plasma. Gag and Nef proteins were the main targets of CTL responses during the first year of HIV-1 infection, and this was evident from the data after adjusting for the length of amino acids by dividing the amino acids number of the corresponding protein and multiplying by 100. Additionally, relative magnitudes of Gag at both 3 months and 1 year post infection were significantly negatively correlated with the viral set point (p = 0.002, r = -0.726; p = 0.025, r = -0.574). While the relative magnitude of Nef at 1 year post infection were significantly positively correlated with viral set point (p = 0.004, r = 0.697). Subjects with multi-layered Gag immunodominant responses during the first year of infection had significantly lower viral set points than subjects without such responses (p = 0.002).
  
  
  
  Multi-layered Gag immunodominant responses during the first year of infection were correlated with viral control, which provides a theoretical basis for vaccine design targeting MSM subjects with the CRF01_AE subtype.
authors: Key Laboratory of AIDS Immunology of National Health and Family Planning Commission, Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Fanming
authors: F
authors: Jiang
authors: Key Laboratory of AIDS Immunology of National Health and Family Planning Commission, Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Xiaoxu
authors: X
authors: Han
authors: Key Laboratory of AIDS Immunology of National Health and Family Planning Commission, Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Hui
authors: H
authors: Zhang
authors: Key Laboratory of AIDS Immunology of National Health and Family Planning Commission, Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Bin
authors: B
authors: Zhao
authors: Key Laboratory of AIDS Immunology of National Health and Family Planning Commission, Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Minghui
authors: M
authors: An
authors: Key Laboratory of AIDS Immunology of National Health and Family Planning Commission, Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Junjie
authors: J
authors: Xu
authors: Key Laboratory of AIDS Immunology of National Health and Family Planning Commission, Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Zhenxing
authors: Z
authors: Chu
authors: Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University, Oxford, OX3 9DS, United Kingdom.
authors: Tao
authors: T
authors: Dong
authors: Key Laboratory of AIDS Immunology of National Health and Family Planning Commission, Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China. hongshang100@hotmail.com.|Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China. hongshang100@hotmail.com.
authors: Hong
authors: H
authors: Shang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015331:Cohort Studies; D058501:Enzyme-Linked Immunospot Assay; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000072339:Sexual and Gender Minorities; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D019562:Viral Load; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology*; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology; D054302:pol Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D010455:Peptides; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C514837:nef protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1; D054302:pol Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D007371:Interferon-gamma
keywords: CRF01_AE; CTL; Gag; HIV-1; Immunodominant