Year: 2023
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cells are an important component of HIV-1 curative strategies. Viral variants in the HIV-1 reservoir may limit the capacity of T cells to detect and clear virus-infected cells. We investigated the patterns of T cell escape variants in the replication-competent reservoir of 25 persons living with HIV-1 (PLWH) durably suppressed on antiretroviral therapy (ART). We identified all reactive T cell epitopes in the HIV-1 proteome for each participant and sequenced HIV-1 outgrowth viruses from resting CD4+ T cells. All non-synonymous mutations in reactive T cell epitopes were tested for their effect on the size of the T cell response, with a≥50% loss defined as an escape mutation. The majority (68%) of T cell epitopes harbored no detectable escape mutations. These findings suggest that circulating T cells in PLWH on ART could contribute to control of rebound and could be targeted for boosting in curative strategies.
DOI: 10.17615/b1ks-t058
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Language: English
Topic: HIV Research and Treatment
Subfield: Virology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G1939027404, G2230551448, HIV Evolution Defines Virus-Host/Drug Interactions In Viremic and Aviremic People, BELIEVE: Bench to Bed Enhanced Lymphocyte Infusions to Engineer Viral Eradication, Collaboratory of AIDS Researchers for Eradication (CARE), The Connie Wofsy Women's HIV Study, Phase I therapeutic testing of viral-vectored vaccines that shift CD8+ T cell immunodominance to conserved regions of HIV-1, University of North Carolina Womens Interagency HIV Study UNC WIHS, G8541996175, G9000075494, The University of North Carolina Center for AIDS Research
OpenAlex ID: W4400022140