University of Lausanne reports research in HIV/AIDS co-infection
2007 NOV 19 -- A report, 'Skewed association of polyfunctional antigen-specific CD8 T cell populations with HLA-B genotype,' is newly published data in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. "We studied CD8 T cell responses against HIV-1, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and influenza in 128 subjects and demonstrate that polyfunctional CD8 T cell responses, also including IL-2 production and Ag-specific proliferation, are predominantly driven by virus epitopes restricted by HLA-B alleles. Interestingly, these protective CD8 T cells are equipped with low-avidity T cell receptors (TCRs) for the cognate virus epitope," scientists writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America report. "Conversely, HLA-A-restricted epitopes are mostly associated with 'only effector' IFN-gamma-secreting, with cytotoxicity, and with the lack of IL-2 production and Ag-specific proliferation. These CD8 T cells are equipped with high-avidity TCR and express higher levels of the T cell exhaustion marker PD-1. Thus, the functional profile of the CD8 T cell response is strongly influenced by the extent to which there is stimulation of polyfunctional (predominantly restricted by HLA-B) versus only effector (restricted by HLA-A) T cell responses," wrote A. Harari and colleagues, University of Lausanne. The researchers concluded: "These results provide the rationale for the observed protective role of HLA-B in HIV-1-infection and new insights into the relationship between TCR avidity, PD-1 expression, and the functional profile of CD8 T cells." Harari and colleagues published their study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (Skewed association of polyfunctional antigen-specific CD8 T cell populations with HLA-B genotype. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007;104(41):16233-8). Additional information can be obtained by contacting A. Harari, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Division of Immunology and Allergy, University of Lausanne, University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland. The publisher of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America can be contacted at: National Acad Sciences, 2101 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20418, USA. Keywords: Switzerland, Lausanne, HIV/AIDS Co-Infection, AIDS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus Viral Infection, Virology. This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2007, AIDS Weekly via NewsRx.com.
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