Functional avidity and IL-2/perforin production is linked to the emergence of mutations within HLA-B*5701-restricted epitopes and HIV-1 disease progression.

ABSTRACT: Viral escape from HIV-1-specific CD8(+) T cells has been demonstrated in numerous studies previously. However, the qualitative features driving the emergence of mutations within epitopes are still unclear. In this study, we aimed to distinguish whether specific functional characteristics of HLA-B*5701-restricted CD8(+) T cells influence the emergence of mutations in high-risk progressors (HRPs) versus low-risk progressors (LRPs). Single-genome sequencing was performed to detect viral mutations (variants) within seven HLA-B*5701-restricted epitopes in Gag (n = 4) and Nef (n = 3) in six untreated HLA-B*5701 subjects followed from early infection up to 7 y. Several well-characterized effector markers (IFN-γ, IL-2, MIP-1β, TNF, CD107a, and perforin) were identified by flow cytometry following

SUBMITTER: Buggert M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4046013 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature