Association between Virus-Specific Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte and Helper Responses in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection |
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| Authors: | Spyros A Kalams S P Buchbinder E S Rosenberg J M Billingsley D S Colbert N G Jones A K Shea A K Trocha and B D Walker |
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| Institution: | Partners AIDS Research Center and Infectious Disease Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. kalams@helix.mgh.harvard.edu |
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| Abstract: | Cellular immune responses are thought to be an important antiviral host defense, but the relationship between virus-specific T-helper and cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses has not been defined. To investigate a potential link between these responses, we examined functional human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-specific memory CTL precursor frequencies and p24-specific proliferative responses in a cohort of infected untreated persons with a wide range of viral loads and CD4 cell counts. Levels of p24-specific proliferative responses positively correlated with levels of Gag-specific CTL precursors and negatively correlated with levels of plasma HIV-1 RNA. These data linking the levels of HIV-specific CTL with virus-specific helper cell function during chronic viral infection provide cellular immunologic parameters to guide therapeutic and prophylactic vaccine development. |
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