Abstract
It is unclear why immunological control of HIV replication is incomplete in most infected individuals. We examined here the CD8+ T cell response to HIV-infected CD4+ T cells in rare patients with immunological control of HIV. Although high frequencies of HIV-specific CD8+ T cells were present in nonprogressors and progressors, only those of nonprogressors maintained a high proliferative capacity. This proliferation was coupled to increases in perforin expression. These results indicated that nonprogressors were differentiated by increased proliferative capacity of HIV-specific CD8+ T cells linked to enhanced effector function. In addition, the relative absence of these functions in progressors may represent a mechanism by which HIV avoids immunological control.
MeSH terms
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Adult
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Aged
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Anti-HIV Agents / therapeutic use
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Antigens, CD / analysis
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CD3 Complex / immunology
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CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
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CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / virology
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CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
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Cohort Studies
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Disease Progression
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Exocytosis
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Female
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HIV Infections / drug therapy
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HIV Infections / immunology*
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HIV Infections / virology
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HIV Long-Term Survivors*
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HIV-1 / immunology*
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HIV-1 / physiology
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HIV-2 / immunology*
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HIV-2 / physiology
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Humans
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Integrin beta1 / immunology
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Lymphocyte Activation*
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Male
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Membrane Glycoproteins / physiology*
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Middle Aged
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Perforin
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Phenotype
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Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins
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Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / immunology
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T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
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Viral Load
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Virus Replication
Substances
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Anti-HIV Agents
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Antigens, CD
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CD3 Complex
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Integrin beta1
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Membrane Glycoproteins
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Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins
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Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell
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Perforin