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Gag-Positive Reservoir Cells Are Susceptible to HIV-Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Mediated Clearance.
- Source :
- PLoS ONE; Aug2013, Vol. 8 Issue 8, p1-10, 10p
- Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- Resting CD4+T cells infected with HIV persist in the presence of suppressive anti-viral therapy (ART) and are barriers to a cure. One potential curative approach, therapeutic vaccination, is fueled by recognition of the ability of a subset of elite controllers (EC) to control virus without therapy due to robust anti-HIV immune responses. Controllers have low levels of integrated HIV DNA and low levels of replication competent virus, suggesting a small reservoir. As our recent data indicates some reservoir cells can produce HIV proteins (termed GPR cells for Gag-positive reservoir cells), we hypothesized that a fraction of HIV-expressing resting CD4+T cells could be efficiently targeted and cleared in individuals who control HIV via anti-HIV cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). To test this we examined if superinfected resting CD4+T cells from EC express HIV Gag without producing infectious virus and the susceptibility of these cells to CTL. We found that resting CD4+T cells expressed HIV Gag and were cleared by autologous CD8+T cells from EC. Importantly, we found the extent of CTL clearance in our in vitro assay correlates with in vivo reservoir size and that a population of Gag expressing resting CD4+T cells exists in vivo in patients well controlled on therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19326203
- Volume :
- 8
- Issue :
- 8
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- PLoS ONE
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 90071867
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071879