O18 A dichotomy in CD4 T‐cell responses specific to HIV antigens

Le résumé fourni par la source

Objective: We sought to compare HIV antigen-induced intracellular cytokine production and proliferation in a cohort of long-term nonprogressor (LTNP) patients and individuals with active/progressive (A/P) HIV disease. Methods: Seven LTNP patients and five patients with A/P disease were tested by incorporation of tritiated thymidine and bioassays for the capacity of their CD4 T cells to proliferate in response to HIV antigents. CD4 cells from the same patients were also evaluated by flow cytometry for the production of intracellular cytokines. Results: In the LTNP cohort, 6/7 patients exhibited vigorous lymphocyte proliferation to the HIV antigens tested. This concords closely with the results of the antigen-induced intracellular cytokine assay in which 6/7 LTNPs were found to produce cytokines in response to the same viral antigens. However, 4/5 patients with active/progressive disease failed to proliferate in response to the HIV antigens tested despite the fact the intracellular cytokine production was detectable in most of these patients in response to HIV antigens. Conclusion: HIV-specific CD4 T cells in most patients with A/P HIV infection cannot proliferate despite being able to produce intracellular cytokines in response to viral antigens. There is a strong concordance between proliferative responses and the induction of antigen-induced intracellular cytokines in clinical nonprogressors only. The important dysfunction seen in the majority of HIV+ patients from very early in disease may be an inability of HIV-1-specific CD4+ memory T cells to proliferate in response to HIV antigens rather than an absolute loss of circulating virus-specific CD4+ T cells.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.